


Under The Skin

by God_of_Insanity



Series: Dark Hearts: Of Men & Monsters [2]
Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angel/Demon Relationship, Angel/Human Relationships, Angels, Angst, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, Background Relationships, Blood and Violence, Bondage, Bottom Sephiroth, Claiming, Demons, Family Relationships - Freeform, Half Breeds, Half-Sibling Incest, Humor, Implied Relationships, Jealousy, M/M, Male Slash, Murder/Death/Kill, One-Sided Attraction, One-Sided Relationship, Oral Sex, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Rimming, Rough Sex, Sexual Tension, Spit As Lube, Tags May Change, Top Vincent Valentine, Vin & Seph are horndogs
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-08
Updated: 2017-04-13
Packaged: 2018-07-22 07:45:42
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 93,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7426216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/God_of_Insanity/pseuds/God_of_Insanity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Freshly graduated from High School, Sephiroth plans to spend his entire summer locked away in his room until he has to attend college in the fall. Fate is a bitch, though, and brings back someone into his life he hasn't seen since he was a kid. He's forced by his parents to spend an entire week with his father's firstborn son despite his many protests. Sephiroth resents his half-brother, or at least, he thinks he does until he discovers a few of Vincent's secrets.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Here Be Demons

**Author's Note:**

  * For [RoamingFirefly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoamingFirefly/gifts), [Malind](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Malind/gifts).



> Just wanted to write something fun. Recently got back into writing. I also wrote this as a gift for Roaming Firefly. And Malind. Roaming's recent update and discovering Malind's work really got me focused and back on track. 
> 
> WARNING: Half-Brother on Half-Brother Incest! It's in the tags, but I thought I'd warn you in the notes as well. If that bothers you, do not read. You have been warned. 
> 
> Any who, I hope you all enjoy!

It was officially the first day of summer, for Sephiroth and most of his former classmates, at least, since they had graduated the day prior. Instead of being outside in the warm, somewhat breezy weather, the 18-year-old was currently locked in his room lying on his back reading a book while some TV show Sephiroth had seen a million times played as background noise on his laptop.

 He had slept in a couple hours later than usual, but still forced himself to get out of bed at a reasonable time. Just because it was vacation time didn’t mean he was willing to screw up his sleep schedule completely. Since he had already applied for college and was accepted, he didn’t have much to do except wait for the fall semester to begin. Sure, he’d had to iron out a few things later, but not for the next month or so since most of what he had to do was already completed. The silver-haired youth was just happy to finally have some time to himself without having to divide time between school, work, friends, and family. Now was his chance to slack off for a bit and enjoy the things he liked to do. Sure, he’d hang out with some friends every now and then; however, he planned to spend the majority of his time to himself.

 With all that in mind, Sephiroth continued to read his book until there was the unwelcome sound of a knock on his door. He sighed deeply before marking his page and setting the book carefully aside. “Yes? Who is it?”

 “Your mother,” came a muffled feminine voice from behind his bedroom door. It sounded a bit too chipper and fake for the young man’s liking.

 “It’s open,” called Sephiroth as he slowly sat up and adjusted his body so that he was sitting on the edge of the bed. He almost always left his door unlocked because his family was polite and wouldn’t ever enter his room without permission unless there was some kind of emergency.

 Sephiroth’s mother opened the door and gingerly entered his room like it was a tiger’s pen and she was a wary, cautious zookeeper. She smiled pleasantly at him as she advanced. A cold knot formed in the pit of his stomach as he watched her approach. This couldn’t be good. His mother never looked or sounded like _that_ unless she had some sort of bad news for him or Gaia forbid, something unpleasant she intended for him.

 Turns out it was **both**.

 Ifalna slowly sat down beside her son and gazed at him for a minute or two before she dared break the silence. She habitually swept some of his long, silver strands out of his face and behind his ear. If she had had her way, his hair would be cut short, but alas, her son was a stubborn soul and wouldn’t be swayed by her nagging. Not that she thought of it as nagging, but she was sure he did. “Seph, I know you don’t want to hear this, but your brother—“

 “— _He_ is not my brother!” Snapped Sephiroth defensively as he jumped up to his feet and backed away from her. He had a feeling he knew what she was going to say and he didn’t want to hear it. Oh, how he **loathed** that cold man and had zero desire to see said man.

 “Right, _half-brother_. He is still your brother regardless of how you feel towards him. I know you are not fond of Vincent, but I still expect you to be on your absolute best behavior. No fighting of any kind, and before you even plan it, you are _staying_ home while he is here visiting. He doesn’t get to see us very often and I would like it if we all behaved like a normal family for once. I know this is your summer break, but this will probably be our last chance together as a family before you go away to college. It would mean the world to your father, and to me, and even Aerith, if you at least tried to make peace with Vincent. If you cannot at least do that, then at least behave and stick around while he’s visiting.”

 Sephiroth knew he was overreacting, but he still felt like his world had been sheathed in complete and utter darkness. It was an exaggeration, of course. He wasn’t a particularly dramatic person, yet he didn’t care for being around most people anymore, especially those that caused him some sort of discomfort or frustration. Vincent tended to cause him both and has ever since they were first introduced when he had been a mere 9-years-old and Vincent had been 18 at the time.

 He didn’t know too much about his father’s previous marriage to his first wife, but he knew that terrible woman had been awarded full custody of his father’s first child, a then 2-year-old Vincent. Gast had spent several years trying to fight it, but to no avail. Once Vincent had turned 18-years-old, he had contacted Gast and had asked to meet him. Sephiroth’s father had been overjoyed by this and had immediately arranged for his firstborn to visit them for the summer since that way; Vincent could get to know the entire family without the hindrance of school.

 Sephiroth recalled that when he was 9, he had immediately disliked the cold, silent man upon sight. Or at least, that’s what he told himself now. The silver-haired youth couldn’t really remember much of his early years that involved Vincent. There was just… _something_. Something in the back of his mind bugging him. It was like waking up from a dream with it fading fast and having little to barely any memory of it. It also was like that irksome feeling of having the answer to something on the tip of your tongue, but not being able to recall it fully. It was like a ghost to him. There, but not full seen. Something about the man unsettled him and he couldn’t pinpoint what. So he just settled for avoiding him as much as possible. He doesn’t remember Vincent ever harming or insulting him, really, unless Sephiroth insulted him first. Sometimes the older boy would coolly retort something that made the younger boy’s jaw drop; other times, most times, actually, Vincent would simply ignore him. For some reason, being ignored by the older boy pissed him off even more than any kind of insult. It seemed Vincent gave everyone else the time of day, but when Sephiroth wanted his attention, even if it was in a negative way, he received little to nothing.

 Regardless of his own vexing feelings towards Vincent, he had to at least give him credit for being a good son. The older boy, well, man now, never asked for money or anything other than time with their father. In fact, he was always kind and polite to Gast, Aerith, and even Ifalna. He put up with Aerith’s seemingly endless chatter and never interrupted her unless he had to use the restroom or take an important call. It annoyed Sephiroth that Aerith was so attached to Vincent and if he were completely honest with himself, he was jealous of their relationship.

 Vincent was 27-years-old now and Sephiroth was 18. The last time the green-eyed boy had seen his half-brother had been when he had been around 14-years-old. It had been so weird, though. Vincent had visited every single year since Sephiroth had been a kid, then suddenly he had abruptly stopped visiting without any reason given. All he had told their father was he had ‘personal’ issues to deal with. Gast had accepted his reason without argument. He was a reasonable man and accepted most things about people even if it caused him pain. Despite the absence, Vincent had still called his father every now and then and even had sent letters here and there. It wasn’t the same as seeing his son face-to-face, but it helped their father deal with his physical absence more easily.

 The adolescent sighed before he mumbled, “Fine. I will stick around, but I can’t promise ‘peace’. I can…try, but there’s only so much I can do. He’s not exactly nice to me, either.”

 “That’s a shame. I remember how close you two were,” sighed Ifalna. She brushed more of his fringe out of his eyes. “You may not remember this, but you followed Vincent _everywhere_. You were always happy to see him visit and sad to see him go. It was adorable. But then…I’m not sure what, you two stopped getting along. You wouldn’t tell me why and neither would he. It was very sad. I hope someday this…whatever it is, ends.”

 Sephiroth frowned at this and couldn’t fully conceive of it. Was this true? How could it be? His mother wouldn’t lie to him, would she? He’d never caught her in a lie, but that didn’t mean she was incapable of lying. He had learned that all people were capable of it and did it for whatever reasons. Even though he trusted his mother inexplicitly, he still couldn’t believe that he had been… _friends_ of some sort with the older man.

 “I don’t believe it.”

 “I figured you would say that, so I brought proof,” said his mother as she produced a picture out of her purse. She handed it to him and when he took it, she caressed the side of his face with her all her typical motherly affection. Normally, he would have shied away from her touch with a loud ‘ _Mother!_ ’ outburst, but this time he was too distracted to fully notice her touch or her departure. All he could pay attention to was the unfamiliar picture he clutched in one hand. It was a picture he had never seen before in his life and left him feeling strangely nostalgic nevertheless.

 It was a picture of a relaxed looking 18-year-old Vincent lying on the couch reading a book with a child version of Sephiroth curled up against him, sleeping with what looked like contentment.

 Clearly, this **had** to have been Photoshopped. This couldn’t be real. No way…

 Or at least, that is what Sephiroth kept telling himself as he gazed at the photograph.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

 “I know something you don’t know!” Sang Aerith as she skipped over to her slightly older brother, Sephiroth. She hopped onto the counter close to him and edged her face closer until she was practically stealing most of his oxygen.

 Sephiroth had been leaning against the kitchen counter reading something on his phone about a recipe. He ignored her at first, but when her nose was pretty much stabbing him in the face, he had to gently push her away from him. If it had been any of his friends, he would have physically lashed out. But no, this was his kid sister. Hurting her in any way was just plain wrong.

 “Don’t you want to know, Seph?”

 “I don’t care to know what you and Zachary do together. The less I know, the less reason you give me to make him a strange smell in the basement.”

 Aerith smiled at that and poked him in the stomach. She giggled when he squirmed away from her hand. The 16-year-old girl knew he was very ticklish there; however, this was something he would always deny and never admit to another soul. He was _not_ ticklish. He just hated being touched there. Yeah, that’s it.

 “No, not _that_! I meant, I know something about Vince!”

 “Is he a woman now?” Murmured Sephiroth with seemingly little interest in the matter. Well, he was interested to know, but he wouldn’t show it. He’d play it off with his sarcasm as always. Just because he hated the man didn’t mean he wasn’t interested in knowing things about him.

 Aerith giggled as she swatted playfully at his muscled arm. “Please, you’re closer to being a woman than he is!”

 “What’s **that** supposed to mean?” Growled the silver-haired male as he pocketed his phone and focused his attention back on the irritating girl. He would never admit it, but Aerith and Zack were perfect for one another. It made him gag every time he saw them together talking, laughing, or hugging. It was gross. Not to mention that one time he had walked in on them _kissing_. Ugh.

 “Nothing,” giggled his sister as she smiled mischievously at him. “Well, do you want to know?”

 Sephiroth sighed. “Fine, tell me…or go away.”

 “Mom told me that Vincent was engaged to some lady for a couple of years, and was even living with her, but their engagement got called off. Apparently, the woman fell in love with some man called Hobo, Hoho or something. So he’s probably going to be a bit…depressed.”

 The taller sibling grunted in response, but otherwise said nothing. His stomach felt like it was in knots and he didn’t know why. The thought of Vincent with someone else bothered him and he didn’t even understand why. Sure, he had felt bothered at first when he had initially found out that Aerith was dating his friend, Zachary Fair. Well, pissed off had been more like it. Zack had had to avoid him for about a year before Sephiroth, for the most part, had accepted their relationship. He still felt uncomfortable at the thought of anyone doing anything remotely sexual with his kid sister. The only reason Zack wasn’t a Eunuch right now was because he personally knew Zack. His friend was a good guy and didn’t take advantage of girls or anyone, really. Plus, it helped that Sephiroth had personally threatened to cut off Zachary’s balls if he ever hurt Aerith.

 But this, whatever relationship Vincent had had with his ex-fiancé, made Sephiroth feel uncomfortable in an entirely different, foreign manner and he couldn’t figure out why.

 “Good. That woman came to her senses, then,” snorted Sephiroth. The unsettling part here was he didn’t know whether he meant that or not. He felt kind of annoyed by this mystery woman and secretly labeled her a cunt in his head. Why, he wasn’t sure. Maybe because in his own way, he understood how that jerk must have felt. Nobody deserved to be rejected and thrown away like garbage. _Nobody_.

 “That’s mean, Seph. I wouldn’t wish that kind of pain on you or anyone else. He must have loved her. I mean, remember how you felt when you and Angeal broke up? You were devastated and wouldn’t leave your room for weeks!”

 “Hn. Whatever,” grunted the silver-haired male as he walked over to the refrigerator so that he could start preparing dinner. It was something he did for his mother sometimes when he had the time and energy. Although he agreed with his sister silently, he didn’t want her to know that and also didn’t want to think about Angeal right now. He wasn’t still hung up over the break-up, but that didn’t mean he wanted to constantly be reminded of it. Sure, he still hung out with Angeal and everyone else, but logically, he felt it was pointless to keep bringing up the past.

 As rational as he was, when it came to his half-brother, all logic seemed to vaporize. He was a very stubborn young man and wouldn’t admit to such a thing even when all his friends and family said it to his face. They all thought his negative obsessive grudge towards Vincent was ridiculous, but he wouldn’t hear of it.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“Hey, Seph! How’s it going!” Chirped the 17-year-old, dark-haired boyfriend of Aerith. He strolled into the kitchen and leaned against the counter with his arms crossed as he watched his silver-haired friend cook.

“Aerith went to the mall with her friends. She should be back soon,” came Sephiroth’s curt reply as he finished the chicken stir-fry and turned down the heat until it was set on simmer. The rice was also done and set aside until it was time to serve dinner. He placed a lid on the stir-fry to keep it warm until everyone came home for dinner.

“I know that. I came here to see you, silly dilly!”

Sephiroth’s rolled his eyes before turning around to finally look at his slightly younger friend. He crossed his arms and leaned against the counter next to the stove. “Uh-huh.”

“Look, I know I’ve been spending a lot of time with your sister, and I realize that. You know I’m a little absent-minded, but I didn’t mean to neglect you. So I’m here to spend a little time with you.”

“You don’t say.”

Zack pouted. “You’re not making this easy.”

“Aerith told you our… _half-_ brother is coming tonight,” dryly stated the slightly older teen.

The spiky-haired youth scratched the back of his head nervously as he tried to figure out a way to not lie to his friend. He wasn’t a good liar and didn’t like to lie anyway.

Sephiroth stared down the slightly shorter male with a sharp, intense gaze that tended to intimidate most people of all ages and genders. “You are here to prevent me from murdering him, aren’t you.”

“Uh…yes and no?” Said Zack meekly as he smiled wryly.

“Relax Fair, I’m not going to kill you.”

“If you want me to leave, I will, Seph, but I want you to know I am serious about being here for you. I do miss you. So does Gen and ‘Geal.”

“Fine, stay,” sighed Sephiroth.

After a couple of minutes, Zack offered, “I can sleep on your floor…”

“No, you damn idiot. You can sleep in my bed with me. Just don’t try to cuddle or hog the covers like always.

The smile on Zack’s face exploded with the power of a billion suns to the point Sephiroth had to look away lest he become blinded by it. That was his downfall, though. As soon as he looked away, his friend pounced on him, throwing both arms around him in an awkward hug since the green-eyed male stood there stiffly with his arms at his sides. His body tensed up and his fists clenched, which were all the warning signs Zack needed to release him. The spiky-haired teen stepped back, hands raised in surrender.

Sephiroth sighed and strode over to the refrigerator, ignoring his friend for now as he rummaged through the fridge. Contents in hand, he placed them on the counter and quickly began whipping up a dessert for after dinner. As he worked, Zack watched him and talked from his temporary perch on the counter.

The silver-haired youth’s phone vibrated in his pocket. He fished for his Galaxy phone and unlocked it. He had a text from his red-haired friend, Genesis.

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: Genesis**

_hey wuz up? want 2 hang out latr? jus u n me. No geal tis time_

5:46 PM

Once he had finished reading the message, he sighed again and quickly typed and sent his message even though he was tempted to ignore his friend. The last time he had ignored Genesis, the boy called and texted until he had reached Sephiroth’s house and came unannounced at 3 in the morning. Because of that stunt, his parents had banned Genesis from ever coming into their house again, but that didn’t stop him from calling and texting like a maniac. It was times like that that Sephiroth was tempted to delete and block the red-head’s number from his phone, or just get a new phone.

**To: Genesis**

**From: Sephiroth**

_No, I am busy. Family function._

_P.s. Learn how to type properly or I will block your number._

5:48 PM

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: Genesis**

_dont be mean sephie! i just miss u u shud snek out 2nite_

5:54 PM

Sephiroth rolled his eyes at the improper text. He didn’t expect people to be perfect; however, he still required them to at least _try_. Genesis could type and write well enough, but chose to text like a moron. Then there’s the whole fact that Sephiroth was 18-years-old now and didn’t need permission to leave the house.

**From: Sephiroth**

**To: Genesis**

_I already told you that I’m busy. Leave me alone or I will seriously block you. I’m not joking. Go hang out with Cloud and Angeal or something._

5:55 PM

**To Sephiroth**

**From: Genesis**

_fine but im comin ovr 2morrow_

5:59 PM

The green-eyed male didn’t bother to respond to that since they both knew Genesis wasn’t allowed in the house. He pocketed his phone and cursed under his breath when he realized something was burning. He quickly dumped the burnt syrup down the sunk, rinsed the pan, and then remade the sauce for the baking cheesecake.

Zack had been surprisingly silent for the past ten minutes or so until Sephiroth realized the younger boy was passed out on the counter fast asleep. Shaking his head, he decided to leave him be for the time being.

Seph’s phone vibrated again and he sighed once more. He reluctantly retrieved it and checked the message.

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: Angeal**

_What did you say to Gen? He’s really pissed and won’t say why._

6:17 PM

**To: Angeal**

**From: Sephiroth**

_Does it matter? Go ahead and kiss his ass like I know you want to._

6:20 PM

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: Angeal**

  _Don’t be like that, Seph. You know I still care about you. I’m going to back off for now but you and I need to have a talk soon. In person. Have a good night._

 6:25 PM

 The silver-haired teen didn’t even bother to reply. He was sorely tempted to shut off his phone, but knew not to since his parents might call him. Now he understood why some people had _two_ phones instead of just one.

 He didn’t even need to look at Zack to know he was still out cold due to that awfully loud snoring of his. Glancing at the clock, he noticed that it was 30 minutes until his parents and _ahem_ , half-brother would arrive from the airport. Aerith would probably be home soon, too.

 The plates and utensils were already at the table neatly placed on the placemats in the dining room. The food was ready and even the cheesecake would finish baking before they arrived. Leaning against the counter opposite of Zack, he crossed his arms and brooded.

 Angeal and he had dated for awhile a couple of months ago. It had lasted maybe 6 months or so. Sephiroth wasn’t certain how long officially it had lasted and didn’t care to beat himself trying to remember. It was over so there was no point trying to pinpoint an exact date.

 Sure, he had been hurt that Angeal had wanted to break it off. That he got over quickly enough. What truly hurt was that the reason was pretty much every reason Angeal ever had. Genesis. **Genesis**. _Genesis_.

 During their time together, Angeal had made sure to pussy foot around the red-head and had always put Genesis first no matter what. He would deny it, but Sephiroth knew it to be true. It had always been like that. Those two shared a special little relationship that had existed long before Sephiroth had met them. Time shouldn’t matter, but to them it did. Or at least, to Angeal it did. It wasn’t fair and he had always been bothered about it. Sephiroth was terrible at expressing himself so he often opted out in doing so. However, this was the exception. He had directly confronted Angeal about how he felt regarding the three of them, but Angeal had denied it, saying he was only _imagining_ things. Right.

 But he wasn’t imagining things. Even Zack and Cloud had noticed it. Aerith, too. They had noticed it without Sephiroth having to bring it up, no less. Every relationship was different, he knew, but he couldn’t help feeling a bit jealous of them. To have someone that always put you first, that supported you no matter what…was something he secretly longed for. He didn’t even care if it was platonic or romantic.  Just to have someone there that understood you and didn’t alienate you…was something he really wanted. Sure, he had his parents and sister, but that wasn’t the same thing. _This_ was different.

It was insufferably hard to describe it, to even rationalize it out loud or even in his mind. It wasn’t something he knew to be logical in any way. It was more of a deep feeling in his chest he couldn’t exactly describe, let alone figure out. Feelings weren’t something he was particularly good at dealing with or expressing. It was probably why he had a hard time dealing with people and a harder time not screwing relationships up.

 Sephiroth’s relationship with Angeal and Genesis was unbearably strained. He may not be as emotionally mature as Angeal was, yet even he could see that the bigger male had romantic feelings for Genesis. Angeal obviously wanted to be with Genesis, but there was a problem.

 Genesis wanted to be with Sephiroth and wouldn’t consider anyone else. It was exactly why Angeal and Sephiroth had kept their relationship on the down low in the first place. They knew it would have upset Genesis and in the end, it had. Even though the relationship had ended, the red-head had somehow found out and had thrown a huge shit fit about it.  Despite being upset about his friends’ secret ex-romantic relationship, Genesis had redoubled his efforts into seducing him to Sephiroth’s dismay. Angeal obviously didn’t enjoy the extra attention Sephiroth received from his childhood friend ( _and crush_ ), but he didn’t dare object.

 There was no way in Hell that Sephiroth would ever entertain the very notion of being anything other than friends with Genesis. For one thing, he hated drama and he enjoyed his personal space. The ginger was always raving about something or going off on someone for something petty. He also seemed to enjoy clinging to Sephiroth every opportunity he got. It was maddening to Sephiroth and that was why he could only take Genesis in small doses. Then there was the whole preference thing. Sephiroth was gay, yes, but unlike what most ignorant people thought, gays also had their own types. They didn’t just bang anything that moved be it man, woman, or beast. So yes, Sephiroth had a type and it wasn’t the loud mouth, flamboyant type of male. He liked calm, collected men that weren’t bears or exceedingly effeminate. He had absolutely nothing against those types of gay men. He just wasn’t attracted to guys like that. There just had to be a balance of some sort for him.

 He had tried again and again to get his point across that he wasn’t interested in Genesis, but the red-head refused to accept that. He never got the hint, and when Sephiroth was more vocal, Genesis would just fight with him and run away only to return the next day as if nothing had happened.

Honestly, Sephiroth didn’t really know why he bothered to remain friends with Genesis…or even with Angeal. Without Genesis, he knew there would be no Angeal. The bigger male wouldn’t accept the separation of his friends. He would refuse to hang out with them separately. Sephiroth knew that if it came right down to it, Angeal would always choose Genesis over him. Not that he’d ever be cruel enough to make Angeal choose, but he knew without a doubt that if Sephiroth stopped spending time with Genesis, Angeal would turn his back on him.

 For this very reason, the silver-haired adolescent was very much inclined to spend the majority of his summer locked away in his room. He didn’t need to have friends like that and if they couldn’t be what he needed, he’d break away from them gradually. After all, in the fall he would be going to college by himself. They all would be going to different colleges anyway ( _although he strongly suspected Angeal and Genesis would be attending the same college together_ ) so it’s not like he’d have time for them and vice versa.

 “Seph, hun, we’re home!” Called his mother as she opened the front door and stepped inside the house followed by several other bodies.

 Knocked out of his stupor, Sephiroth quickly checked the cheesecake to see if it was ready. He immediately removed it from the oven. He’d let it cool on the counter for ten minutes or so before sticking it in the freezer.

 He could hear the familiar, muffled voices of his parents talking from what he suspected was the living room. In a mad dash, he hastily entered the dining room and scooped the dinner onto every plate without making a mess. He then placed a pitcher of water and a bottle of red wine on the table. Once he was certain everything was as it should be, he retreated back into the kitchen. He smacked Zack over the head on the way to the cheesecake, which he tapped lightly. Still too hot. Sighing, he picked it up anyway using an oven mitt and placed it delicately into the freezer. He then checked the simmering sauce and stirred it lightly to keep it from getting nasty.

 “Ow, why’d ya hit me?” Groaned Zack as he rubbed at his head. Though it hadn’t actually hurt, he just felt like griping since his friend had rudely woken him up from a rather nice nap.

 Sephiroth snorted. “It’s time to eat, buffoon.”

 Zack’s eyes enlarged to the size of dinner plates at the thought of food, especially since Sephiroth cooked it. “Thanks, man. You’re gonna make a nice housewife someday.”

 Before Sephiroth could hit him again, the younger teen was already gone. He sighed and shook his head.

 “Seph, love, come join us, please,” called his mother from what sounded like the dining room. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled and his stomach twisted in knots along with the unmistakable sensation of something annoying fluttering around. His skin suddenly felt too hot and he also felt a bit dizzy. This was…different. He’d never felt like _this_ before. Not even when he had had to give speeches or meet new people. No, this…was something else entirely. It wasn’t just the fact that he had not seen Vincent in several years that made him feel anxious. It was the _other_ thing. That damned picture. Although he couldn’t specifically remember much of anything, he still remembered the feeling of closeness he had had with the older man. The green-eyed boy also remembered the feeling of rejection. He knew his half-brother had turned his back on him, but he didn’t know why. Maybe that’s why he had been so bitter all these years. That had to be it! Unless…

 “C’mon, Seph!” Urged Aerith as she burst into kitchen to grab her brother by the forearm. She tugged him impatiently even though her smaller form couldn’t actually make his larger form bulge. If he hadn’t of been so distracted, he probably would have smirked down at her.

 “What?”

 “I’m starving! Mom won’t let us eat until you join us!” Insisted Aerith as she continued, in vain, to yank at his arm. She resembled a Chihuahua pulling at a Great Dane’s leg with absolutely no hope of success.

 Sephiroth shook his head stubbornly. “Tell her I’m sick.”

 “You do not seem very sick to me,” murmured a smooth, silky _deep_ baritone that had both liquid ice and fire shooting throughout Sephiroth’s body. The fuck…?

 There stood their half-brother Vincent in all his infuriating, too sexy glory. He had filled out quite a bit, very nicely indeed, since his teen years and although he still had youthful vitality, he still had that irresistible maturity men in their prime tended to carry. His hair had even grown out and was long, silky, and well maintained even though it was a bit on the unruly side. He was also dressed very nicely in some well-fitted black slacks, a red silk dress shirt and a black vest. It was casual, yet fancy at the same time. It made the younger male want to stride over, rip open that vest and shirt and—

  _Wait, what?_ Sephiroth felt his face flush hotly once he realized what his train of thinking had led to. What was wrong with him? **That** was his _brother_ and even if Vincent hadn’t been of blood relation, he’d still be pissed at the jerk!

 “He’s not sick…just _shy_ ,” clarified Aerith with a shit-eating grin plastered on her face that suspiciously resembled Zack’s just a bit too much for his liking.

 “I am not shy!” Denied the silver-haired youth with a sharp glare aimed at his meddling little sister.

 “Do not be nervous, Sephiroth. I am not going to bite you,” reassured the dark-haired man as he turned back towards the door leading to the dining room. Aerith smiled at them both before releasing her brother and walking past Vincent in a rush to go back to her brother. Sephiroth inwardly sighed and followed his sister. As he passed Vincent, he heard the man growl, “...but I might _tomorrow_ night.”

 It took a few seconds for the words to kick in, but when they did, the silver-haired male nearly tripped over his own feet. He somehow miraculously managed to not fall on his face; however, he had stumbled a bit much to Aerith and Zack’s amusement. He turned to glare daggers at Vincent only to notice the man was gone. Sephiroth looked back at the table and spotted the infuriating man sitting there innocently as if he hadn’t spoken a word or bore witness to Sephiroth’s near humiliation.

 Unfortunately, the only seat available was right next to the _jerk_. Rather than fight it, Sephiroth strode quickly over to the table and sat down gingerly as if he suspected to be sabotaged somehow at any time. He ignored Vincent as he sat there stiffly, pushing his food around on his plate. His appetite was gone now and he _could_ afford to skip one meal, but his parents were strict about them all having Family Time aka dinner together. So here he was, forced to sit and wait until everyone was finished.

 His mother kept shooting him looks that he pretended not to notice. He also ignored the almost painless kicks delivered by his sister in her futile attempt to grab his attention.

 Zack, seated next to Aerith opposite of Vincent, caught on to the game and kicked Sephiroth under the table. Unlike Aerith, Zack’s kicks actually hurt.

 Sephiroth looked straight at Zack and glared balefully at him. “Watch it, you clown!”

 “My bad. I just got excited,” apologized Zack with a grin. He didn’t sound sorry at all.

 “Aren’t you hungry, Seph, hun?” Inquired his mother from her position at the end of the table to Sephiroth’s left. His father was on the other end to Vincent’s left.

 “Don’t worry, I’m quite certain he will be hungry _later_ ,” ensured the dark-haired man before Sephiroth could open his mouth to answer. He was about to turn and demand what the hell Vincent meant by that when he suddenly felt a hand, _too large to belong to a woman_ , slide up his thigh and rest at the place where leg met hip. His eyes nearly bugged out of his head and he ended up choking on his own spit from the sheer shock of the move. He knew it was Vincent’s hand and could see it was out of the corner of his eye, but he wouldn’t bring attention to it.

 Ignore it. _Ignore it_ , **ignore it** …

 “Everything okay, Sephie?” Asked Aerith once she noticed how flustered her brother seemed to be.

 “Yes, fine,” grit out Sephiroth in a tight, restrained voice. He then quickly added, “I told you not to call me that. I’m not a girl.”

 Zack opened his mouth to speak, but shut his mouth immediately once he felt his girlfriend pinch him in reprimand. She tended to do that to keep him from saying something foolish.

 “Guess what, Seph, Zack,” started Aerith and as soon as she had their undivided attention, she continued, “I saw your friends at the mall today!”

 The spiky-haired teen slurped rather loudly as he finished the last of his stir-fry. He glanced around as if to locate more food to consume. “What were they doing?”

 “Yes, do go on,” urged Sephiroth even though he wasn’t particularly interested. He was presently trying to pry his half-brother’s hand off of his thigh without raising suspicion.

 As Aerith babbled on, a very distracted Sephiroth lost the fight and nearly toppled out of his chair once he felt that hand creep down between his legs to squeeze his half interested dick.

 Oh, _fuck_.

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

 


	2. Call Of The Siren

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, this story is so fun to write! I hope you guys are enjoying it as much, or at least, half as much as me! 
> 
> Also, beware the Half-Brother on Half-Brother incest near the end of this chapter. Nothing too graphic...until CH03, that is.

 

“Everything okay, Seph? You look ill,” asked a worried Aerith as she hovered over her brother.

 Sephiroth was slumped over a bit at the table with his elbows propped on the table to keep him from falling asleep in his food. He knew his mother hated elbows on the table, but at the moment, he didn’t care. Even though he had nothing planned and it was his break, his mother had dragged him out of bed in the morning so they could eat breakfast together like a ‘family’ despite his very loud objections. He was beyond exhausted because he had only managed to grab an hour or so of sleep since he had pretty much tossed and turned all night due to being restless and ridiculously horny. Masturbating hadn't helped him all that much no matter how many times he had brought himself to completion. What was worse was that what usually got him off didn't do anything for him. Every time he had desperately tried to think of someone else, _anyone_ else, real or imagined, his mind always wandered back to his bastard of a half-brother. He'd see that face in his mind's eye, looming over him with crimson eyes burning with unbridled sin and hands so wicked they handled him in ways Angeal had always been too skittish to attempt. Every little fantasy that had played out behind closed eyes had brought him so quickly over the edge every time that he had found it embarrassing. Not to mention it also dented his pride with how rapidly he had lost it and with **what** it took to make him come. The most frustrating part was that no matter how many times he jerked off, he remained hard and wanting. At some point during the night, he had dragged his ass into the shower to take the coldest shower possible. It had helped for about maybe oh, ten minutes or so before unintentional thoughts ( _really he hadn't been trying to think of him, it just happened_ ) of Vincent worked him up again. So yeah, in the end he had only managed to sleep for what felt like five minutes but was probably around an hour and a half. 

 It was all that bastard’s fault.

 Sephiroth stabbed at the pancakes angrily with his fork before dropping it. He pushed his plate away and glared darkly at the object of his frustrations. “I’m just tired.”

 “Oh, okay. Maybe you can nap later?” Suggested Aerith as she happily ate her food seemingly oblivious to what was really bothering her brother.

 Vincent sat across from Sephiroth reading the paper and drinking coffee. He sat there all innocently as if he hadn’t done anything to Sephiroth last night. In fact, he didn’t seem to notice his half-brother’s intense glare fest at all.

 Their mother walked by Sephiroth and pushed his elbows off the table as she offered, “Your father works today, but I thought we all could do something together.”

 Sephiroth grunted, but didn’t make any attempt to put his elbows back on the table. Instead, he slumped back in his chair, head hanging back over the chair and draped his arm over his tired eyes. In spite of the strong smells of bacon, sausage, and eggs, he could still smell Vincent's unique, intoxicating musk as if the man were sitting right beside him. It made him recall the previous night at the dinner table, this same exact table that his half-brother had dared fondle him while his family ate, oblivious to his plight. He remembered being torn between forcing that hand down under the waistband of his pants or viciously ripping said hand off so that it would stop it's assault. In the end, Vincent had abruptly stopped and had excused himself from the table as if he hadn't been doing anything fucked up like molesting his own brother. Sephiroth had felt immensely relieved...yet a smaller part of himself had felt strangely... _disappointed_.

 “Let’s go to the beach!” Piped Sephiroth’s sister with wide, excited green eyes that seemed to fucking sparkle.

 “Sounds like a good idea,” agreed their mother. She briskly walked back over to Sephiroth and gently lifted up his arm from his face. As she peered down at him with a sweet smile, she asked, “How does that sound, honey? We could go to the beach.”

 “That depends on who _we_ is,” grumbled the adolescent male, barely catching what his mother had said to him. 

 She smiled down at him, clearly not fazed by his grumpy behavior. “Everyone except your father, of course.”

 Sephiroth immediately froze. That meant…that bastard would be going with them. They’d be at the beach…in the sun…and he’d _barely_ be wearing any clothes and…he’d be all wet. Well, if the jerk bothered to step foot in the water, that is. He decided he wasn’t going to be taking any chances. “Count me out. I’m staying home.”

 “Don’t be rude, Sephiroth Faremis! You’re going and that’s that.” Spoke his mother in her firm, deadly tone that threatened never-ending pain on his part if he kept misbehaving. She was a very sweet, loving woman; however, her children knew better than to step on her toes.

 Before Sephiroth could retort, Vincent smoothly intervened. “That is quite all right, Mrs. Faremis. If he does not want to go, he does not have to go. I can stay here with him while you ladies have fun at the beach.”

 “Oh, please, call me Ifalna, Vincent. I insist,” Laughed their blushing mother who seemed to be easily charmed by her husband’s seductive first-born son.

 Sephiroth’s eyes widened at the proposition and he felt his blood turn to ice. There was no way in Gaia he was going to be in the house alone with _Vincent_. The bastard was probably planning something sinister to do to him. There was no way he was going to fall into that trap. He’d seen way too many stupid horror flicks to know this wouldn’t head anywhere pleasant. “No, no, we can go to the beach.”

 “Oh, you’re such a good boy!” Exclaimed his mother as she leaned over and kissed her protesting son on the face.

 “Yes, yes he is,” agreed Vincent with a smirk that everyone else didn’t seem to notice.

 Sephiroth rubbed his mother’s kiss away as he muttered darkly under his breath. He tried to look on the bright side of things. Maybe Vincent was a vampire and would stay completely clothed under the shade? Or he’d burst into the ashes as soon as he set foot in the sun. One could hope…

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Turns out Vincent wasn’t a vampire.

 Sure, his smooth, hairless skin was pale as fuck, but it looked good on him and seemed to give him an ethereal look. He certainly looked very much like the pretty boy vampires usually depicted in certain kinds of fiction and movies. In spite of that, he did have numerous, claw-like scars marring his smooth, mostly unblemished skin. The scars looked old as if he had had them for several years already. Sephiroth idly wondered what animal had done that to him and if Vincent had really deserved it. Probably.

 In spite of the physical flaws, he was really, really hot. His body was lean and toned like a jungle cat. He wasn’t as muscular as Sephiroth was, but the teenager could still tell there was power and agility in that frame. He wouldn’t lie, the scars seemed to attract Sephiroth even more to his half-brother. He was curious now and found himself wanting to know the story behind them.

 Another thing Sephiroth noticed, and had failed to notice the day prior was the glove fitted to the majority of Vincent’s left arm. Even though he was glad only in crimson red and black swim trunks, he still wore that strange black glove. Was he injured? Maybe he had burns or something that couldn’t be in the sunlight. Or more scars that he didn’t care to reveal. That was another thing, though. Vincent didn’t seem self-conscious about his body at all even though many others would have been unwilling to reveal such scars.

 Sephiroth continued to stare at the scars, clearly mesmerized as he thought about how they would feel under his fingertips. He didn’t realize that Vincent’s body was getting bigger and bigger until the man waved a hand in front of his unfocused eyes.

 “Are you going to stand there gawking all day…or are you going to actually get in the water?”

 The teen snapped out of his daze and fixed a glare on the slightly shorter male. He was about to respond with something nasty and sarcastic when Vincent grabbed him by the wrist with his bare hand and pulled him over to a large red and white umbrella planted in the sand.

 Sephiroth was too stunned to object to being manhandled. The moment that hand had made contact with his skin, he had instantly felt a warm feeling spread throughout his body. It was like feeling the warmth of the sun on his skin and _underneath_ it. It felt better than any high he had ever experienced in his short, barely adult life. He didn’t know what it was, but he knew he liked the feeling despite _who_ that touch belonged to.

 The silver-haired boy didn’t snap out of his daze until he felt his knees hit the beach towel under the umbrella. Next thing he knew, something cold and wet made contact with his skin. He opened his mouth to protest when a hand started rubbing whatever that substance was, into his skin. He turned his head and glared balefully at the man knelt behind him. Since the older man was wearing sunglasses, he couldn’t exactly read him by eye expression. To be fair, though, even without the sunglasses, Sephiroth probably wouldn’t have been able to perceive much since Vincent always seemed to wear a Poker Face.

 “What do you think you’re doing?” Spat Sephiroth as he squirmed from the partially unwelcome touch.

 Vincent continued to rub the SPF lotion into the younger male’s skin without pausing in his task despite the younger male’s fidgeting. “Your skin is exceedingly pink. If you do not apply sunblock and take breaks from the sun, your fair skin will have a nasty burn,” he explained, then paused for a moment to let that information sink in. After less than thirty seconds, he added, “…unless that is what you want. I would rather have you unharmed, but your wish is my command.”

 “What the fuck are you talking about?” Snapped Sephiroth, his already pink face flushing a deeper scarlet.

 “Hold still,” clipped Vincent in a tone that left zero room for argument. Although his bedroom voice was naturally low and monotonous, there was something laced into it that instilled obedience in the normally rebellious, hard-headed youth.

 Sephiroth instantly stopped all movement save for his slightly labored breathing. He didn’t understand what was going on with him lately. This jerk he hated—or at least he thought he hated—was making him feel all sorts of strange, vexing feelings. The resentment he felt towards his half-brother was still there, yeah, but…it had lessened drastically in less than twenty-four hours. He frowned as he sat there deep in thought while still being acutely aware of that long-fingered, yet obviously very male hand as it rubbed the lotion into his pink-tinged skin.

 What was even more disturbing than the fading resentment was the sheer fact that he was very sexually attracted to his _brother_. True, Vincent was his half-brother by blood, and he barely knew him, but that still didn’t excuse this confusing, disgusting attraction. Whatever this was, he had to stop it now. He had to resist it as best he could no matter what hardball the older male threw at him. Yes, yes…that is what he was going to do. Sephiroth would ignore the other man as best he could no matter what. Yeah, that jerk had ignored him when he had been a child so now Sephiroth would give him a taste of his own medicine.

 At least, that had been the plan until Sephiroth had felt that hand snake around his hips and rise up over his abdomen. His well-toned abdominals quivered under the touch as adept fingers massaged the sunblock into the skin. There was a sharp intake of breath on the adolescent’s part as the hand traveled upwards towards his chest. His eyes widened, if that was even possible, and he finally protested, “I can do the rest myself, thank you!”

 “Yes, that you can, but I do not mind. Just relax…I will take care of you,” whispered Vincent, his hot breath rolling against the teen’s ear and neck making the younger male shudder. Against his better judgement, Sephiroth closed his eyes until he heard the familiar sounds of his mother and sister giggling. His eyes snapped open and he looked around wildly until he had pinpointed the location of the females. He spotted them under another umbrella about five feet away, staring at them and giggling as if both females were drunk or something.

 “All done. Remember to reapply every hour or so and be sure to take breaks from the sun,” murmured Vincent as he closed the bottle and dropped it on the beach towel. He didn’t seem to notice the gawking females nearby. The dark-haired male readjusted his position until he was sitting cross-legged beside the younger male. His hands rested neatly in his lap as he stared at the ocean, watching the waves rolling and people splashing around like injured fish.

 “Aw, look at them, mom, they’re so cute!”

 Their mother smiled conspiringly as she continued rubbing sunblock into her daughter’s petite back. “I agree. Looks like they’re finally getting along at last. Too bad I forgot to bring my camera…”

 “That’s okay, mom. I brought my phone and I already snapped a bunch of pics!” Replied Aerith a bit too ecstatically as she waved around her pink, flower bejeweled phone. She quickly snapped a few pictures, which prompted Sephiroth to jump up and lunge at her like a demon possessed.

 “Give me your phone, Aer!” Snarled Sephiroth as he chased his little sister around the beach. She didn’t seem to have much trouble running in the troublesome sand like he did.

 As Sephiroth eventually started gaining on her, Zack popped out of nowhere and threw up his arms as if playing a game of catch. “Hey babe, throw it over here!”

 Aerith giggled as she tossed her girly phone at her boyfriend, who managed to catch it without dropping it, let alone crushing it in his large hands. The spiky-haired teen grinned in victory until he saw a pissed off Sephiroth charging at him like a bull. “Oh shit!”

 “Oh shit is right! I’m going to kick your ass, Zack!” Threatened the silver-haired boy.

 “Aerith, catch!” Called Zack as he threw his phone. He cringed when he thought he had thrown it too far, but smiled in relief when he saw his girlfriend sail up in the air like a gymnast to catch her beloved phone. She laughed and began running away to get a head start on her furious brother.

 Zack laughed, too, until Sephiroth had body slammed him into the sand. The combination of the force of the blow and the older teenager’s weight knocked Zack out cold. The green-eyed male nodded down in satisfaction at his handiwork before he jumped off of Zack to pursue his wicked sister again. Unfortunately for him, Aerith was nowhere in sight. Fuming, Sephiroth marched over to his mother and glared down at her unhappily. “Mother, I want those pictures back. Now.”

 “Oh, Seph, hun, your sister is just having a bit of fun,” started his mother as she gazed up at him with a gentle, amused smile. She sighed when she noticed that his expression had turned even more sour. Deciding to placate him some, she promised, “Don’t worry, sweetie. She won’t post those pictures online or show them to anyone else.”

 “That’s not the point! I want those pictures _deleted_!”

 Before she could respond, a familiar low voice spoke up from behind the silver-haired youth. “Calm yourself. I will acquire those pictures for you...”

 Sephiroth slowly looked over his shoulder to look incredulously at the older male. He sarcastically spat, “Oh yeah?”

 “You have my word,” promised Vincent with a slow nod right before he turned and strode away. Despite walking in sand, he seemed to walk with surreal grace as his unruly hair billowed behind him in the wind. His pale skin seemed to glow in the sun and—

 “Ow, what was _that_ for?!” Complained Sephiroth once he had felt his mother pinch his rear end. His mother and sister were weirdos obsessed with butts, especially man butts. He might be gay, but at least he wasn’t obsessed with ass and trying to touch every ass he came across.

 “I was calling you, but you wouldn’t answer. You were zoned out again. You’ve been doing that a lot lately,” explained his mother while she came to stand beside him. Leaning over, she whispered demurely, “I wonder _why_ that is…”

 “ _It’s not because of **him**_!” Objected Sephiroth before he stomped over to the shore and threw himself in the slightly cold salt water. Hopefully a nice swim would distract him from his weird, sickening feelings, his annoying family, and that stupid sexy jerk.

 

 ~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Hours later, after an extremely cold shower, Sephiroth collapsed on his bed for a nap. For whatever reasons, the beach always made him feel lethargic. As tired as he was, he didn’t start drifting off to sleep until an hour or two later right before Zack chose that moment to barge unannounced into his room. The younger boy flopped down on his bed beside him.

 “Ugh, Zack, get out…” Mumbled the silver-haired boy from under his covers. The usual threat of violence was absent from his tone due to the fact that he was simply just too exhausted to fight.

 “Oh, did I wake you?” Asked Zack in mild surprise.

 “No, I was just lying here playing with myself,” Spat Sephiroth sarcastically. His words were barely audible since his head was currently buried underneath his pillow. He groaned and screwed his eyes shut even tighter. The swim _and_ the shower had done little to quiet his obsessive thoughts. Unfortunately for Sephiroth, he had the compulsion to overanalyze everything. Once he was stuck on something, it took him a long time to stop obsessing over it. Aerith sometimes would joke and said he had OCD. For all he knew, she probably was right. He did have weird habits and no matter how he tried to change his thinking and habits, it didn’t really help him much.

 So yeah, right now, he was obsessed with the half-brother he thought he had once hated. Now…he wasn’t so sure. He was…confused. Everything Vincent said and did now was different compared to the past and it didn’t make sense to him at all. What had changed? Why was the jerk acting like… _that_? Better yet, why was Sephiroth himself acting and feeling so…irrationally?

 As if hearing his friend’s thoughts, Zack stated, “You’re overthinking things again.”

 “Go away,” growled Sephiroth as he threw the pillow and covers off. There was no way he would be able to sleep now. He sighed as he rubbed his tired eyes with the palms of his hands.

 “So, I was talking to your mom and she said your brother is only staying a week,” said Zack in his effort to start a conversation.

Sephiroth dropped his hands away from his eyes. “He’s not my brother.”

 “Ooookay, whatever you say, Seph. Anyway, he’s only gonna be here a week, so chill. He’s not so bad, you know. Eccentric, yes, but he actually listens and he’s very nice.”

 “A week,” repeated Sephiroth while his stomach felt like his body had just abruptly plummeted down a steep hill on a roller coaster ride. He wasn’t sure why he felt so ill over the thought. Why should he care if that jerk was only going to be around for a short time? That it would be like before when he had abruptly left. He’d be gone… _again_. So why should he care? He should feel relieved, but he didn’t.

 “Sooo…just hang in there, Seph. I’m sure after he leaves you can go back to moping around again.”

 Sephiroth rolled his eyes. “I do not mope!”

 “That’s all you’ve been doing since you and— _oomph_!“ Started Zack before his face was suddenly smacked with a pillow. The impact of the blow ended up throwing the spiky-haired teen off of his bed, which was just as well.

 “Serves you right,” snorted the emerald-eyed male as he crossed his arms over his chest.

 Zack sat up slowly rubbing his red face. He didn’t seem the least bit fazed by his friend’s grumpy and somewhat abusive behavior. In fact, he was used to Sephiroth’s little fits and it didn’t particularly bother him. Although he did come over a lot to see his girlfriend, he also came over to check on Sephiroth since he was worried about him ever since the break-up. The older boy wasn’t the same as before and it was obvious to him that Sephiroth was hurting from something. Zack suspected it had something to do with both Angeal and Genesis somehow. It couldn’t be Zack, though. Zack knew he was just too wonderful to cause issues for others. He wasn’t egotistical or anything; it was just that he got along with pretty much all people and usually had to play peacemaker between his friends whenever there were disputes.

 “If you say so, buddy…”

 “I don’t say so, I know so,” dryly remarked Sephiroth as he rolled onto his side. He propped himself up using his elbow with the side of his face cradled in his hand so he could watch the three large, fist-sized fantail goldfish swimming around in his 75 gallon fish tank. Most people would assume he’d have Oscars or cichlids in his fish tank, but they’d be wrong. He just liked goldfish and any fish slow swimming fish with long-flowing fins. They were hardy and reminded him of puppies. In fact, now that he thought about it, it was like he had three smaller versions of Zack. How lovely.

 Following Sephiroth’s gaze, Zack stared at the fish then cocked his head to the side curiously. “You’ve had them forever. How long? They’re _huge_!”

 “Since I was…” Started the older boy, but he trailed off when a certain, forgotten memory washed over him. He suddenly remembered being somewhere, like a pet fish farm or something with Vincent when he had been much younger. He just knew it hadn’t been a pet store. It had been somewhere, like a breeder or something, who actually took very good care of the fish. He remembered Vincent had taken him somewhere with fish and had let him pick any breed he wanted. He had chosen these fantails back then, when they had been the size of a quarter. The tank had been smaller back then, too. So why had he forgotten about that? If he remembered correctly, it had been close to the time Vincent had started ignoring him. Why would the older man, a teenager then, give him some pets, and then later turn his back on him? What had he done wrong?

 “Uh…everything okay, Seph? You look murderous.”

 “I’m fine,” lied Sephiroth as he rolled onto his back to stare up at the ceiling. He brought a thumb to his mouth and slowly chewed on the nail. It was a bad habit he had picked up sometime after Vincent had left, or maybe even earlier than that. He couldn’t really remember exactly when it had started; however, all he knew was that picking or biting at his nails was something he did whenever he was anxious or upset about something. Most of the time he wasn’t even aware he was biting his nails until his mother grabbed his hand or someone else pointed it out to him.

 Before Zack could open his mouth to disturb the silence, there was a knock at his door. Sephiroth wanted to ignore it, but he knew better. Last thing he wanted was an angry mother barging into his room like a hurricane. He called out, “Who is it?”

 “Vincent,” came the muffled answer from behind his room door.

 “What do you want?” Asked an annoyed Sephiroth.

 Zack bounced up onto his feet and flung open the door. “I was just leaving anyway,” said the younger teen with a wink as he shimmed by Vincent presumably to go bother someone else like Aerith most likely.

 “May I come in?” Inquired the dark-haired male while he stood patiently just outside the doorway.

 “I guess…but no funny business,” grumbled Sephiroth as he slowly sat up to stare blankly at the older man.

 Vincent said nothing else as he strode into the room. As he walked by the tank, he glanced at it. His eyes widened just a fraction of an inch as if he most likely recognized the now much larger goldfish since the tank was different now. He didn’t remark on it, though. Instead, he walked over to the bed and dropped Aerith’s phone onto his half-brother’s bed. “As promised…all the photos were deleted. Your sister didn’t upload them to any social media or anything.”

 “How do you know?”

 “Because I asked her. She may like to tease you, but the girl is honest and kind. I do not believe she would do something like that to you,” answered Vincent as he turned to leave. He then muttered something Sephiroth almost didn’t catch, “…I do not see anything wrong with such pictures…but that is just my opinion…”

 In the next moment, the dark-haired male left without another word. He paused at the doorway and glanced at the teenager as if he wanted to say something else, but didn’t. Vincent then gently closed the door behind him as he departed.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

True to his word, the pictures were gone. Sephiroth should have felt relieved, but he felt strangely empty. Why, he did not know. There was already too many unknown, befuddling feelings churning around inside of him. In more ways than one, he felt distressingly sick. The silver-haired adolescent ended up staying in bed for the rest of the day and night. He even declined on joining his family for dinner to his mother’s dismay. Still, she could tell he wasn’t feeling well, so she left him alone but made certain to check on her son every now and then just in case he needed her.

 Some of his friends sent text messages and when he didn’t answer, some tried to call. He ended up turning off his phone since he wasn’t feeling well enough to deal with anyone. Whatever this shit was, it made him want to do nothing except sleep.

 So he did. Not restfully, of course. At least, not at first. He woke up multiple times in cold sweats, panting lightly as if he had had a nightmare. During the night, while he was half-asleep, he remembered feeling a cool hand on his forehead and on his face. It was probably his mother, but it was too dark to tell and he had not exactly been awake enough to know for sure. After the touches to his face, he remembered feeling…better, and then blissful darkness.

 In what seemed like the blink of an eye, Sephiroth awoke several hours later a little before noon. He didn’t feel as bad the night prior, but there was still a sickness in the pit of his stomach. His mind was a bit clear, though, and he felt more indomitable. Instead of moping around in his room, ( _yes, inside his head he’d admit to it, but would never actually admit it out loud to anyone_ ) he would get down to the bottom of things. He would find an opportunity today to corner that man to get the answers he wanted and to tell him to knock off whatever shit he was pulling. He didn’t particularly like pranks or being teased in any way to the point that it pissed him off. Whenever anyone did mess with him, he always put his foot down. He was usually a very direct and logical person who didn’t enjoy people beating around the bush or playing mind games with him. It was partially why he didn’t get along so much with Genesis anymore because the redhead liked to try to fuck with his head the majority of the time.

 So yeah, today he would hunt down his so-called half-brother and put an end to this bullshit. Of course, he would be careful not to let on that he was indeed affected by Vincent. Joke or not, he wasn’t going to put his ass on the line. In a way, he hoped this was all a joke. If it wasn’t…and Vincent was actually being serious, then he didn’t know what he would do about _that_.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“Why?”

 Sephiroth breathed deeply to keep a rein on his quickly diminishing patience. He normally was more patient, but lately he was not due to his mounting anxiety. “Can you just do this for me?”

 “Not until you tell me _why_ you need me to take mom out of the house,” declared Aerith as she crossed her petite arms over her chest. As sweet as she naturally was, she could be just as bull-headed as her brother.

 “Fine. I just need to talk to him alone without interference,” relented the silver-haired boy.

 One of his sister’s thin eyebrows arched at that. “Oh? What for? Are you going to kill him?”

 “No, no, nothing like that. I’m not going to hurt him at all. I just…need to talk to him without people barging in. You know how mom is. She’s great, but kind of nosy.”

 “What do you need to talk to him about?”

 The green-eyed boy breathed deeply once more before he curled his dry lips to lick them without looking provocative. He had learned to do this just right ever since Genesis _and_ Cloud made a comment about him licking his lips. It’s not that he really cared what they thought, he just didn’t want to give them any ammo. “I just need some answers, is all. This is between me and him and I’d like to keep it that way. Will you do this for me or do I need to drag him out into some random alley?”

 “Do you… _like_ him?” Slowly asked Aerith as she peered more closely as her big brother.

 “You better not be asking me what I think you are,” deadpanned Sephiroth while he narrowed his eyes and scowled at her.

 “It’s okay if you do, you know. I won’t judge you,” insisted his sister with a gentle smile.

 “He’s our half-brother. That’s disgusting,” snorted Sephiroth. He was clearly irritated by how insightful his little sister was. He just hoped neither of their parents noticed what she saw.

 Aerith shrugged. “Still. You’re both…adults, I guess. I don’t think any love between two consenting adults is wrong, but that’s just my belief, Seph.”

 “Ugh. Please stop,” groaned Sephiroth as he rubbed at his temples. He could already feel a headache throbbing.

 “All right. I’ll do it. But if I come back and see the house a mess, I’m coming after you,” promised Aerith with a sharp gleam in her emerald eyes.

 “Yeah, yeah, _mom_.”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

A couple of hours later, Sephiroth found himself pinned seemingly helplessly against the living room wall with little to no room to escape. Vincent’s gloved hand firmly held both of the younger male’s wrists against the wall as his hips ground relentlessly into Sephiroth’s at a slow, maddening pace. His lips were latched onto the boy’s neck, sucking and biting only hard enough to leave marks without breaking the skin. Sharp points could be felt nipping at Sephiroth’s neck, but he was too distracted to really notice it.

 Sephiroth squirmed even more when he felt Vincent’s other hand snake underneath his shirt to pinch and roll each dusky pink nipple until they were hard and flushed against his porcelain skin. Unfortunately, ( _or fortunately, depending on how one looked at it_ ), that part of his body was almost painfully sensitive to touch. He couldn’t hold back the weak moan that escaped his lips as his body bucked hard against the older man’s in an effort to increase the friction. It wasn’t enough, yet it was too much.

 All sense and reason had fled his mind along with any form of coherent thought whatsoever. He turned his head to look at the raven-haired male with pupils blown so wide his green eyes looked black. Mostly golden eyes, with some flecks of crimson here and there, locked onto his own. Vincent’s pupils were dilated as well, but the shape was all wrong. Instead of having round pupils like most people and animals, he had slit-like pupils like a domestic cat. In spite of that, it was not that noticeable due to how big the pupils were at the moment.

 Sephiroth felt utterly and completely trapped; trapped like a sailor to a Siren’s call that he didn’t even bother to resist. Wedged against the wall by a hard body, he wasn’t sure what ensnared him more, that body or that fierce, ardent golden gaze.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm evil, I know. Sick and twisted, too. Enjoying it? If so, please do let me know, my sweet dear deviants! >:3 CH03 should be updated within a week or so.


	3. Sacrifice The Lamb

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Graphic sex between Half-Brothers. You have been warned. Continue at your own risk or not. Otherwise, enjoy. :D
> 
> SEMI-IMPORTANT: The beginning of CH 02 has been edited. Nothing too huge, but I made a mistake that was pointed out and it bothered me, so I felt the need to fix it. So now you know what happened after CH01's cliffy and Sephiroth's thoughts and feelings on it. :3

 

 

_Ten Minutes Earlier_

Sephiroth paced his room as he worked up the nerve to go confront that frustrating man. His sister had finally, _finally_ succeeded in dragging their mother out of the house for dinner and a chick flick. They had left over 30 minutes ago or so and he still was procrastinating by burning a trail across his bedroom floor. His mother and sister would only be gone 3, maybe 4 hours so he needed to get his ass in gear. It was now or never. This sick game would end now and he would get his answers.

 Steeling himself, Sephiroth opened his room door and exited his room in search of his half-brother. The first place he checked was the guest room, but upon knocking, no one answered. He waited and then knocked again. When there was no answer, he quietly opened the door to reveal that the room was tidy and clean, but devoid of anything Vincent save for that heady smell that made him feel tempted to crawl underneath the covers and breathe deeply.

 The silver-haired youth grimaced at the perverted direction his thoughts had turned to. He quickly dismissed them since obviously his exhausted brain was an irrational mess. With proper rest and obtained answers to his questions, he felt that his mind would surely return to normal. With that in mind, he then sighed partially in relief since he realized it would have been awkward to confront the man in a room…with a bed. A bed he could push him down onto and crawl on top of him…

 Ugh, no! Stop it, already. Just _stop_ …

 The next place Sephiroth checked was the living room, which bore fruit since the older man was sitting by the window in a chair, staring outside. There were no lights on in the room and the sun was already setting, so it was already pretty dark in the room. The last few rays of the sun cast Vincent in a beautiful, fiery light as well as multiple, trailing shadows creeping into the room. He looked so beautiful sitting still as a statue by the window that Sephiroth couldn’t help staring for several long minutes.

 Vincent didn’t seem to notice the younger male’s presence until Sephiroth finally felt able to move again while his heart hammered wildly in his chest. He turned to leave, having lost his nerve due to his budding arousal at the exquisite sight of the raven-haired man.

 He didn’t get very far before Vincent’s calm voice inquired quietly, “Where are you going…?”

 Sephiroth stopped as if a great big invisible hand had reached over and had wrapped gigantic fingers around him to immobilize him. He could feel eyes burning into his back as he slowly and reluctantly turned around to face the older man. Vincent was thankfully still seated in the chair, but his burning crimson eyes were fixed on the teenager.

 Suddenly, Sephiroth felt angry at being questioned like he was the one in the wrong. He turned completely around and pointed an accusing finger at the older male. “No, what are you doing? Can you tell me that? Huh?”

 Vincent was quiet for a few moments before he coolly answered, “I am doing nothing. I am merely sitting here, as you can plainly see…”

 “ _BullFuckingshit_!” Snarled Sephiroth as he stalked closer to the raven-haired man. “ _Gaia_ , even now, you’re looking at me in that warped, fucked up way of yours! Why the fuck are you messing with me? It’s sick and it’s cruel. First you _ignore_ me, then you leave for _years_ and suddenly show up out of the blue for a _visit_!? Then you say weird things to me and touch me like…like…well, you know what you did! I want to know… _why_.”

The silver-haired male turned away, no longer able to bear that smoldering stare. He shook his head vigorously and sighed, “Nevermind. I’ve changed my mind. I don’t want to know anymore. Just…stop it. Stop whatever you’re doing and leave me the fuck alone already.”

 “No,” refused Vincent, his nonchalant voice echoing throughout the room by the power of that single word.

 Sephiroth whirled around at that to gawk in disbelief at the audacity of the older man. “What do you mean, **_no_**?”

 “I cannot and will not…do that…” Confessed Vincent as he slowly rose up from the chair he had been seated in. His steps were slow and measured as he advanced on the younger man like a predator.

 Green eyes widened as far as they would go as he backed away from the man that was steadily closing in the distance between them. He backed away until his back thudded against the wall of the living room and in that moment, he felt pure dread. He was _fucked_. Quite literally, by the looks of it, too.

 When the older man was close enough, he reached out to touch Sephiroth, but the adolescent grabbed his offending hand. Vincent sighed as if he were dealing with a slow child. He easily broke the grip the boy had on him and quickly pinned the younger male’s arm to the wall by the wrist above his head. When the other free hand lashed out to strike him, Vincent grabbed that one, too, with his other hand and forced it against the wall. He arranged it so that both of Sephiroth’s wrists were pinned by his left hand, which seemed to have grown… _claws_? The claws were embedded deeply in the wall and if Sephiroth should struggle, they would without a doubt cut him.

 “Why? Why are you tormenting me? I have done nothing to you, so _why_?” Asked Sephiroth in a broken, wrecked voice.

 Vincent didn’t answer. Instead of a verbal response, he closed the distance between them by pinning the younger male against the wall with his body. His face loomed in close, his now golden eyes seemed to glow as they bore straight into Sephiroth’s frightened green eyes like a lion about to tear apart a lamb. Quicker than the blink of an eye, his mouth was slotted against the younger male’s, crushing him in a bruising kiss. He worked his jaws against Sephiroth’s until the boy gasped, allowing him entrance into his mouth. His tongue thrust itself into the adolescent’s mouth, exploring and tasting every part of him that he possibly could while eating the boy’s moans.

 The demonic-looking man growled into the mouth he was currently pillaging once he felt Sephiroth weakly grinding his hips against Vincent’s. He rutted hard against the boy, but didn’t increase the pace. Instead, he slowed it down as much as he could so he could feel the muscular body he was pinning against the wall thrash and writhe against him like an animal trying to fight its death throes. His mouth tore away from Sephiroth’s to latch onto his neck to bite, lick and suck at it as if it were the juiciest thing he’d ever tasted. His free hand slid up a thigh until it disappeared under the younger man’s shirt. Clawed fingers skimmed carefully over quivering muscles without breaking skin until they reached a nipple. He mercilessly rolled and tugged each sensitive nub until they were both hard and poking out through his thin t-shirt.

 Vincent released Sephiroth’s now mottled neck to gaze back into the darkened eyes of the silver-haired youth. His right hand cupped the side of Sephiroth’s face as he searched his face for something specific. His deep voice, now husky with lust, growled, “Do you understand now?”

 Rather than answer, the panting boy smashed his lips against the older man’s. This action surprised Vincent enough that he momentarily loosened his grip on Sephiroth’s wrists. It wasn’t much, but it was enough for him to break free. The green-eyed adolescent surged against Vincent, his arms encircling his neck to pull him deeper into the kiss. A hand twined into Vincent’s wild hair, cradling the back of his skull as their mouths devoured each other. One of Vincent’s hands was latched onto the back of his neck as the other groped and kneaded Sephiroth’s ass while their hips bucked against each other. 

 A long leg wrapped around the left side of the older man’s waist, hooking their bodies together in an effort to be as close as possible. Vincent lifted his brother’s other leg to hook around his right hip. His hands gripped onto the boy’s shapely buttocks, supporting him from falling as he carried him over to the nearest couch. Once they’d reached the couch, they had fallen down on it in a tangle of writhing limbs. From his position atop the green-eyed boy, Vincent broke away from the other man’s moaning mouth to stare down at his disheveled brother. They had barely done anything and already Sephiroth looked like he was close to the edge. Golden eyes flecked with red closed for a moment as if to regain his composure before they snapped open to reveal completely crimson eyes.

 “ _Not yet_ …” Murmured Vincent as if he were talking to himself and not to Sephiroth.

 Whatever reservations Sephiroth had had were long gone as he watched his half-brother ease down his body until he was nestled in-between the younger male’s mile long legs. Nimble fingers quickly unbuttoned and unzipped the teen’s pants in a matter of seconds before pulling out his engorged, steadily leaking erection from the confines of his jeans. He gazed down at the enflamed organ as his now claw-less hand trailed his fingertips along the ridge. A small smile graced his lips upon seeing it jerk from the light caress. His fingers wrapped around his length, tightening just right while his thumb teased the head of the boy’s cock. The silver-haired male hissed, bucking his hips until a gloved hand pressed down on his hip to hold him in place. The other hand still wrapped around his weeping cock, continued to fondle and stroke him in a way that was maddening to the boy.

 “Please, Vincent,” begged Sephiroth as he writhed desperately, hands gripping whatever parts of the couch he could reach. He didn’t know exactly what he wanted, but if the older man didn’t stop teasing him, he’d surely reach down and finish the job himself. Had he not been so aroused, he probably would have been mortified by not only the idea of jerking off in front of his half-brother, but by the sheer fact that his brother was actually giving him a _hand job_.

 Whatever reason was left in the silver-haired male’s brain vanished as soon as he saw the older man lean over, his long hair tickling the silky skin of his cock before his mouth engulfed it. His right hand was wrapped at the base of his cock, pumping it as wet heat swallowed the rest. Something solid and sharp scraped against the skin of Sephiroth’s dick, which caused him to thrash around as much as he could considering that his lower body was pinned down by a strong hand that seemed to be made of steel. Pale cheeks hollowed as the older man seemed to suck the life out of him. A tongue snaked out, caressing parts of the flesh that had been previously scraped by teeth. A groan vibrated around his cock as the dark head began bobbing in earnest, apparently now serious about bringing the boy to completion.

 Sephiroth arched his back, moaning wantonly from the ministrations to his penis. His hand eventually found its way in chaotic dark locks, winding the strands around his fingers before he began tugging. Vincent didn’t seem to mind, or even notice the less than gentle attention to his hair as he slipped his right hand lower to stroke and squeeze the heavy sacs. Fingers that were slickened by the younger male’s pre-ejaculation slipped down in between his cheeks to prod and rub at his puckered orifice. Sephiroth vaguely felt Vincent poking around down there due to being distracted by his half-brother’s talented mouth. Although he barely registered the fingers tracing the rim of his hole, he did notice when a long finger suddenly breached him. His green eyes snapped open at the feeling of a longer finger sliding in alongside the first digit. This was not an unfamiliar feeling to him since he had done this before, but it still surprised him nonetheless since he hadn’t been expecting it.

 Suddenly, the wet heat surrounding his cock was replaced by frigid cold air that made him hiss. He was about to open his mouth to protest when a swollen mouth covered his own. The weight on his hip disappeared, which gave him the opening to rock back on the fingers that leisurely fucked his ass. He wanted more, it just wasn’t enough. His hands, now free from the raven hair, clawed at the older man’s still clothed body. Air was scarce since Vincent’s sinful mouth refused to part from his for more than a couple seconds at a time.

 A gloved hand slipped in-between them to resume stroking and pulling at Sephiroth’s cock as his other hand continued to finger him thoroughly. His long fingers seemed to be searching for something specific since they positioned themselves to thrust inside the tight, clenching heat at various angles until finally, they struck that sweet spot inside Sephiroth that had him bucking wildly while he screamed into his half-brother’s mouth. The fingers were merciless as they alternated between slamming against and rubbing hard at that bundle of nerves. The double stimulation of his erection being jerked and his ass being finger fucked quickly had him tumbling over the edge screaming his release into a ravenous mouth that heavily drank from it like a thirsty, starving man. 

 

 ~*~*~*~*~*~

 

The loud bustling of people in the house woke Sephiroth up from his deep slumber. Glancing at his bedside table, the clock informed him that it was barely 7 in the morning. He groggily smacked his hand around on his bed until it made contact with his cell phone, which was conveniently shut off.  Muttering under his breath, he switched it on and dropped it beside him clearly in no hurry to read the ridiculous amount of text messages he was sure would be waiting for him.

 He closed his eyes, dozing for a few more minutes until his family’s noise rudely woke him up again. Grunting, he slowly sat up as he rubbed at his bleary eyes. It wasn’t until the motion of a fish in his tank caught his eye that suddenly, the events of the previous night slammed back into his mind. A myriad of emotions and feelings barraged him all at once that he nearly vomited on the spot. Fortunately, he was able to inhale and exhale deeply until the nausea eventually dissipated.

 Stumbling out of his bed, he paced his room as his thoughts seemed to explode all over the place. He remembered getting his family out of the house and then confronting Vincent. After that, everything else was a blur. He didn’t even remember how he ended up in his own bed, either.

 Suddenly the memory of a mouth devouring his own and hands touching him in intimate places surged forward so vividly in his mind’s eye that he nearly tripped over his own feet. No…what the fuck? Did he, did _they_ …?

 Sephiroth snorts in disbelief as he glared at nothing in particular.  It must have been just a dream. Yeah, it had been a really messed up dream. That’s probably why most of the images of the, eh, _sex_ with Vincent were so fuzzy and fleeting, like a dream. After all, in parts of it, he remembers Vincent having glowing golden eyes, fangs, and fucking claws for fuck’s sake!

 The silver-haired boy laughed as a great weight dropped off from his shoulders and chest. Obviously, he had tried to talk to Vincent, but had gotten upset and had stormed away at the failed attempt. He recalled feeling exhausted the day before, so he had probably stomped back to his room and fallen asleep as soon as his head had hit his pillow.

 Yeah, that sounded about right. There was no way in hell he had done anything remotely sexual with that insufferable man. Besides, only in a dream would someone like his jerk half-brother appear as a demon bent on ravaging him. Hah, right.

 Feeling indefinitely better, Sephiroth strode back over to his bed to pick up his phone. Before he could unlock it, a voice sang through his door. “Seeeeeeeeppph! Are you awake, yet? It’s breakfast time!”

 “Yes, I am awake,” called Sephiroth as he unlocked his phone and started scrolling through his messages. As usual, most of them were from Angeal and Genesis. He didn’t bother to read them, yet, though. He decided he would read the couple of messages that Zack had sent last night first.

 Aerith chose that moment to open his door and walk into his room. She beamed at him like the irritating morning person that she always was, until her green eyes landed on something peculiar that only served to confirm her previous suspicions. 

 “What do you want, Aer? I’ll be down in a few minutes…”

 When his sister didn’t respond, his emerald orbs snapped up away from his phone to scrutinize the girl still standing awkwardly in his room. He noticed her eyes were wide and her mouth hanging open while she stared at him. “What? What is it? What are you looking at?”

 His sister wrung the hem of her pretty pink shirt in her hands as she answered, “Um, it’s your neck, Seph. You should…look in the mirror.”

 Snorting, Sephiroth turned on his heel and groped at his neck on the way to his full length mirror. He rolled his eyes before he looked since he believed this was just another joke his sister was playing on him.

 Oh, how wrong he was.

 Sephiroth’s eyes nearly bugged out of his skull the moment he saw the numerous blotches of reddish purple marks discoloring his fair skin. There was no way, no fucking way his dream had actually happened. It couldn’t have, it just couldn’t. How was this possible?

 “Did…did Vincent do that? Are those um, hickies…or bruises?” Slowly asked a very concerned Aerith as she came to stand beside her big brother.

 The silver-haired boy continued to stare dumb-folded at the marks on his neck. His neck was a little sore, but he wasn’t injured. These were obviously love bites, not bruises. He knew because when he had been with Angeal, he had often walked away from their trysts with marks exactly like this on his body. “I…don’t know.”

 “Do you not remember?” Slowly inquired the braided girl as she peered at her older sibling.

 “I remember…parts of it,” utters Sephiroth as he continues to massage his throat. It didn’t hurt, but it did feel a little sore.

 “Are you hurt anywhere?”

Sephiroth ripped his eyes away from the mirror to look down at his worried sister. He knew what she was asking and for whatever reason…the question offended him. As much as Vincent pissed him off, he didn’t believe the guy had it in him to force himself on him. Or did he? Stranger things have happened, he knew, but he couldn’t shake the anger that vibrated through him at the thought that anyone would think his half-brother was a rapist. As abstruse as some parts of that so-called dream were, he remembered being an active, _willing_ participant.

 “No, I feel fine. In fact…I feel better today compared to yesterday.”

 “Oh, I see. So…did you talk to Vincent? How did that go?”

 He felt irritated that she continued to press him for information when he was still trying to digest everything. Sighing, he shook his head. “Please, Aer, I don’t want to talk about this right now. Can we just drop it for now?”

 “All right, but if he did anything bad to you—” Started saying a reluctant Aerith until she was cut off by her brother.

 “—Don’t. Don’t ever think anything like that. I may not be on good terms with him right now, but he would never do _that_.”

 “How do you know?” Asked Aerith as she regarded her brother. She asked not because she didn’t believe him, but because she was curious to know _how_ her brother would know such a thing about a person he regarded as a stranger.

Sephiroth’s hand dropped away from his neck as he turned to face his petite sister. He could see the worry in her kind eyes, which in turn made his own features soften. He knew he could look…very intimidating and downright scary, at times. He didn’t do it on purpose. It was just how he looked. Genesis and the other guys liked to joke about him saying he suffered from _Resting Bitch Face_. Well if he actually did have such a thing, then Vincent definitely suffered from it, too.

 He answered simply, “I just do.”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Twenty minutes later, after some help from his sister covering up the frustrating marks using a ridiculous amount of makeup, Sephiroth found himself downstairs playing with his breakfast. In the end, they had settled with sticking a bandage around his neck. Either way, his neck would be noticeable and a neck injury was more believable than a bunch of makeup. Either way, everyone would be asking questions, but he figured it was safer to just cover it up since he wasn’t known to wear makeup. Well…there had been that _one_ time, but that had been on a dare. That didn’t count.

Aerith chattered enthusiastically with their mother while occasionally throwing her brother worried looks. It also didn’t help that their mother kept shooting concerned looks at him, as well. She had freaked out the movement she saw her son wearing a bandage and had fussed over him for several minutes. It had taken nearly ten minutes for both siblings to get her to calm down and believe their story about Sephiroth scratching his own neck in his sleep. It wasn’t unheard of, really, and he’d done it a few times when he was younger.

 “Where is dad…and the _other one_?” Slowly asked Sephiroth after he had noticed that his father and half-brother were absent from the table.

 “Your father and brother are out in town for the morning. They should be back in the afternoon, honey,” answered Ifalna as she heaped even more food on her stubborn son’s plate in spite of the fact that he had barely touched any of his first helping. To get her off his back about eating, he nibbled on some toast and bacon, but wouldn’t touch the eggs.

 Relief and disappointment both washed over him in such a confusing mix he didn’t even know how to begin to processing why he would feel disappointed at the absence of his older brother. Yeah, brother. As much as he had denied that fact for years, Vincent was his brother. Stranger still, the sexual feelings he felt for his half-brother didn’t repulse him as much as before. Sure, he still intended to deny the attraction and to drag his feet about it. He knew that his sister was aware, at least partially, of his unhealthy attraction to their half-brother. It was that much harder to deny that he wanted Vincent really badly in ways that were clearly taboo. Whether he was for it or against it, it really didn’t matter since Vincent was only going to be visiting for a week. Well, technically, less than a week now. He’d already been here for a couple days or so, which meant he probably had five more days at most. Sephiroth felt his stomach sink at the thought of the older man leaving again. He gripped his fork hard in his hand to the point he bent the utensil. The boy didn’t notice what he had done until he felt a slender hand touch his hand.

 His mother’s brilliant green eyes, so similar to his own, regarded him in such a way that he couldn’t stare into them for very long. He was afraid she would be able to see right through him. “Are you all right, love? I know you’ve been feeling sick lately. You seem bothered by something.”

 “I’m fine. I do feel a little better,” grumbled Sephiroth as he slowly placed the bent fork down on the table. He stared at it with a frown and then shook his head. Why should he care? The sooner Vincent left, the better. Then things could go back to normal, and he wouldn’t feel these sickening urges anymore.

 Ifalna opened her mouth to question him again, but stopped the moment the doorbell rang. She sighed as she stood up and left the dining room to answer the door.

 “Saved by the bell,” said Aerith with a little smile. She stood up and picked up her and Sephiroth’s plates to dispose of the food since she sensed that her brother was done. He had eaten a bit more than the days prior, so she’d have to be satisfied for now. Come lunchtime, though, she fully intended to shove more food down his throat. The girl was just as bad as their mother when it came to mothering Sephiroth. Despite being a couple years younger than him, Aerith was more mature than him and even seemed beyond her years despite her youthful looks.

 Sephiroth mumbled, “For now…”

 “Oh man, is that breakfast?!” Exclaimed Zack as he entered the dining room with big, puppy-dog looking eyes. He looked at his girlfriend with huge, begging eyes until she sighed and handed him a plate loaded with Ifalna’s delicious home cooking. “Oh God…Mrs. Faremis, you should leave your husband and marry me!”

 Aerith swatted her boyfriend’s arm. “Jerk.”

 “Oh, stop,” laughed Ifalna with a blush as she entered the room followed by blond, spiky-haired boy. The blond hung around awkwardly until Zack had grabbed him by the arm and forced him down on a seat near him.

"Yes...please stop," agreed a grumpy sounding Sephiroth.

 “Guys, I brought Spike along. I hope you don’t mind,” said Zack while he inhaled the food offered to him. He stopped just long enough to look at Sephiroth and say, “I texted you last night that I’d be coming by, but you never answered…so your phone was probably shut off. Everything okay?”

 Sephiroth nodded curtly before he turned his gaze to the shy blond boy. He suspected that Cloud had a crush on him since he always seemed to stammer and blush a lot around him. When they hung out in larger groups, Cloud seemed more confident and less intimidated by Sephiroth, yet when it was just him and Sephiroth, or even if Zack was around as a third wheel, the blond boy was awkward. It was kind of endearing, really. Sephiroth liked Cloud well enough, but he wasn’t sure if he felt _that_ way about him. Especially considering Sephiroth tended to like more mature men his age and apparently, older, too.

 “How are you, Cloud?” Inquired Aerith as she pulled out a chair, placing it by Zack before she gingerly sat down on the other side of her boyfriend. She smiled at Cloud as she watched him fidget. She had placed a plate of food in front of him, too, and found it curious that his appetite seemed to match her brother’s. Cloud was dear to her and she often felt as if the blond boy was her third brother.

 “I’m okay,” mumbled Cloud as he began to nibble on some toast.

 “You want to come up to my room after you are done?” Asked Sephiroth and the moment the words left his mouth, he regretted them because they seemed to imply something.

 Cloud choked on his food at hearing the offer and quickly grabbed some nearby water, drinking and sputtering. He coughed as Zack smacked him on the back. It took him several minutes to regain his composure.

 “I’m sorry, I meant you and Zack. I will be in my room…” Sighed the silver-haired boy who mentally smacked himself. He pushed up from the table and nodded to everyone before he trudged back to his room. He flopped down on his bed and decided to scroll through his messages. After reading one message from Angeal and Genesis, he ended up deleting the rest of their messages without reading them. They were making him increasingly angry and frustrated so it was best if he kept his distance for now lest he do or say something he’d regret. Sephiroth knew he had a temper and it could get ugly and he has said things in the past he regrets. Normally, he’s very controlled and composed, but if pushed to the brink, he will snap.

 Sephiroth raised an eyebrow when he noticed a couple text messages from an unknown number. He opened the first message and slowly read the message.

  **To: Sephiroth**

**From: Unknown**

  _This is Vincent. Your sister gave me your number. I am going out with your father for a bit. I will be back later and I think we should talk somewhere private, but public. I know you seek answers from me and you are most likely angry and confused. For that, I am sorry, and I will do my best to answer your questions. Please hear me out._

6:45 AM

 Sephiroth quickly sat up and reread the message multiple times, each time slowly and with great care. He could feel his heart hammering wildly in his chest for reasons unknown to him. The silver-haired youth felt excited and suddenly impatient for the older man to return already. He was torn between wanting to avoid Vincent and wanting to see him. It was a strange mix and already he could feel a headache forming as a result. Then there was the fact that Vincent typed exceptionally well. Most people he was friends with were lazy and sloppy when they texted. This was… _refreshing_.

 He stared at the message for several minutes contemplating whether he should save Vincent as a contact or not. In the end, he opted for saving him as a contact, just in case. After he had saved him, he realized there was still another message and opened it.

  **To: Sephiroth**

**From: JerkFace**

  _I will leave you with the choice of where we should talk. It would be preferable if we had our meeting in the midafternoon so try to keep that time clear if at all possible._

7:54 AM

 “Who’s _JerkFace_?” Suddenly asked Zack as he hovered over Sephiroth’s shoulder, shamelessly looking at his friend’s phone without his permission, of course.

 Caught off his guard, Sephiroth instinctively elbowed Zack hard in the chest, sending him flying in the air and landing on his ass. He quickly locked his phone and shoved it in his pocket. Intense green eyes turned to glare at the dark, spiky-haired boy sprawled on the ground. “Next time I’m throwing you out my window, Zack. I told you that I hate when you do that shit.”

 Zack sat up slowly, rubbing at his sore, throbbing chest. In spite of the pain, he didn’t seem the least bit fazed by Sephiroth’s rough treatment. Instead of complaining, he smiled and wobbled up onto his shaky feet. When he was confident that he could walk without falling over, he then strode over to Sephiroth and plopped down on the bed. “So…who’s JerkFace? Is he your _boyfriend_?”

 Sephiroth’s face kept its usual poker face as he stared at his friend blankly. He would have gotten away with it too if he hadn’t been blushing. It would seem that as of late, that was a physical response he had trouble controlling. If he were honest with himself, just the thought of the older man brought out this irrational, kinda crazy feeling side of himself. At the same time, though, there was this strange sort of peace, contentment perhaps, whenever the crimson-eyed man was near him.

 “None of your business and no, he’s not anything of the sort,” rebuffed Sephiroth as he turned his back on his annoying friend. He eyed his window and wondered if he should just toss him out now.

 “But do you want him to be?” Softly asked Cloud as he seated himself on the floor near Sephiroth’s bed. Despite many invitations, the slighter boy always refused to sit on his bed for some reason.

 “ _Cloud, do you want to die?_ ” Spoke Sephiroth in a grim voice so low it had the other boys leaning closer just to catch his words.

 Cloud and Zack looked at each other, staring with eyes wide before they both clung to one another as they cracked up until they were wheezing for air.

 Sephiroth narrowed his eyes until they were barely thin slits. “What? I’m being serious.”

 He sighed when they continued to laugh, tangled together like two big playful lion brothers basking in the sun. The image of them together like this, laughing and playing like idiot friends, reminded Sephiroth of the days when Angeal and Genesis had been just like this. Gen and ‘Geal always had had a preexisting friendship, a close one that made them brothers, but back then, they never had rubbed it in his face. Back then, he could be in their presence and feel connected to them without feeling like an outsider, an interloper. Coincidentally, he had met and befriended them shortly after his half-brother had turned his back on him. He had been lonely and hurt so that when they had walked into his life, it had seemed a godsend. The pain had dulled and the loneliness had faded so much so that he actually felt something akin to happiness. He missed those days so bad now that it incensed him to know that everything was different now. They were all older now, young adults, and could never go back to the lighter, more carefree days.

 The friendship was strained and Sephiroth knew he didn’t help matters at all by withdrawing like a hermit. Perhaps, like an animal, he could sense a storm and wanted to burrow into safety. After all, he had once had a great relationship until one day, that had abruptly ended. Now it would seem it was happening all over again, yet slowly this time instead of suddenly. Maybe he was truly the one at fault here since it was happening again? What was he doing wrong? What had he done wrong? Was there anything he could do to stop it or was he just kidding himself? What could he—

 “—Seph, stop brooding!” Interrupted a voice Sephiroth barely even heard right before a pair of calloused hands had grabbed his arm and had jerked him off the bed. He grunted as his larger body fell flat on top of Zack’s slightly smaller body. Cursing under his breath, he shoved himself off of the dark-haired boy and seated himself down on the floor beside the groaning idiot. The silver-haired boy glanced around and noticed that fortunately Cloud had been spared from the brutal impact. Due to weighing close to 200 pounds, Sephiroth knew that would have been awkward to tell the Strifes that their son was now a pancake.

 “Whoa, what _happened_ to your neck?” Asked Cloud, his blue eyes wide as he stared in morbid curiosity.

 A barely recovered Zack shot up and snapped his gaze towards whatever his blond friend was looking at. He leaned closer to get a better look to which he was promptly shoved away by the older boy.

 “Hey, watch the kisser, Seph! I need that for your sister!”

 “Keep talking, Zack, and I will _make_ you a woman,” threatened the green-eyed male.

 Zack patted his taller friend on the shoulder in what seemed like a comforting manner. “Um, Seph, I’m flattered, really, but I’m not gay. If I was, I’d totally let ya, but I’m not.”

 Sephiroth sighed.

 “So…are you going to tell us what happened?” Quietly questioned Cloud, not in the least bit deterred by the distraction known as Zack Fair.

 Sephiroth touched his neck as he rose to walk over to his mirror. His fingers felt the remains of the bandage that barely held onto his neck. Jade eyes looked into the mirror, spotting that the bandage had also rubbed a good portion of the makeup off. Some of the, eh, love bites, were visible enough to the eyes.

 Zack immediately whistled and cat-called when he realized just what he was looking at. “Someone got _lucky_!”

 The blond hung back, rubbing at his arm, which was a habit he did whenever something bothered or upset him.

 “Was it JerkFace?” Asked the nosy black-haired male as he loomed closer to his irritable friend.

  “…”

 “It totally was! _Awww_ …” Gushed Zack with hands clasped together much like Aerith would do whenever she found something adorable. “So, how was it? Did he make you the woman or did you—“

 Sephiroth clamped a hand over his friend’s mouth to shut him up. He wasn’t sure how to explain what had happened since he wasn’t completely sure himself, so he lied, “Listen, Zack, nothing happened. We kissed, that’s it. Nothing big or special, so forget it.”

 Zack’s face fell, but he accepted the answer nonetheless. “You will tell me when _he_ makes you a woman or vice versa, right?”

 The silver-haired boy closed his eyes and repelled the urge to smack his silly friend. He didn’t understand why his very heterosexual friend was so interested about hearing about his sex life. Then again, Zack was a very outgoing person and hungered to know everything even if it wasn’t pretty or happy. Sephiroth’s eyes opened as he spoke slowly as if speaking to a slow child, “Zack, there is no woman. When men fuck each other, there is no woman, and no one becomes a woman. Next time, just ask me who topped or bottomed, okay? Those are the correct terms.”

 “Will do,” piped the dark-haired teenager.

 Cloud chose that moment to ask, “So that means you’re going to tell us all about it then?”

 “ _Ugh_. Can we just do something else, please? Is there a movie or game you’re both interested in?” Queried the silver-haired boy as he strode over to his bed to sit down heavily on it with arms crossed defensively.

 Ten minutes later, all three adolescents were curled up in big comfortable bean bag chairs in the game room, which was a room the entire family used to exercise or play games. They were playing some game on the Wii, Mario Party or something other. Sephiroth didn’t much care. It was his sister’s console and his friends wanted to play it, so he had reluctantly given in. While he waited for his turn, he fished out his phone and tapped out a text message.

  **To: JerkFace**

**From: Sephiroth**

  _How about that park in town near Icicle Inn? I forget what the park is called but I know it’s located near that inn. It’s not far and there’s plenty of kids playing and people walking around, but enough privacy so no one will overhear us without our knowing._

 10:04 AM

 “WHOOO! Zack’s the man!”

 “More like, Zack’s the cheating bitch man,” snorted Cloud as he punched Zack in the arm as punishment for stealing his coins.

  **To: Sephiroth**

**From JerkFace**

  _I know that park. That is acceptable. I will pick you up in under an hour, so be ready._

 10:23 AM

  **From Sephiroth**

**To: JerkFace**

  _I thought you said midafternoon?_

 10:24 AM

 “Dammit, Zack, why do you keep going after _me_?!”

 Zack laughed in triumph. “Because you’re so cute, Spike! Besides, if I go after Sephiroth, he’ll kick my ass…”

 Sephiroth put down his phone for a moment to begrudgingly play the mini game that he easily won despite the cheating computer. As soon as it was over, he grabbed his phone and opened the message. Heat immediately flooded his face and the room suddenly felt much too hot. His stomach twisted in writhing knots while his chest heaved a pang of longing so unfathomable he felt his chest would surely implode.

  **To: Sephiroth**

**From: JerkFace**

  _I thought I could wait that long, I was wrong. Forgive me, but I need to see you._

 10:26 AM

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can thank Malind and Roaming Firefly. I was going to post this Thursday but they were so sweet I decided to post this chapter a few days earlier. I hope you enjoyed. And as always, don't be shy.


	4. The Demon Unleashed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who came out to play? Prepare for Paragraphs of Vincent dialogue.

 

_20 Minutes Later_

Sephiroth stood, freshly showered, in his room with a black towel wrapped snugly around his waist as he combed his long damp hair as quickly as possible without ruining it. His hair still wouldn’t be completely dry 40 minutes later, but he didn’t care. For whatever reasons he couldn’t describe, the sudden urge to get completely clean had overcome him. Lately, his nose had become more sensitive to smells and even though his friends didn’t necessarily smell bad, he didn’t want their scents on him. For whatever reasons, his gut instinct was warning him to be clean, so clean he would be.

After he was finished with his hair, he carefully chose something casual, yet light since it had been broadcasted to be a very hot day today. He tugged on an off black form-fitting tank top that was so thin and worn from use that it was sheer enough to show his body through the shirt. He usually only wore it around the house or to sleep, but he felt like wearing it outside today since he didn’t have anything else suitable enough for such a scorcher of a day.

Next came a pair of black athletic fit jeans that accentuated his muscular thighs and ass enough to be flattering without looking ridiculous and painful like that skinny jeans crap some people wore. He had tried some on a few years ago and had been forced to peel them off 30 seconds later because it had felt like his balls had been about to burst in his pants like popped balloons from all the discomfort and pressure. He could see why girls might like to wear skinny jeans, but as a guy, come on. He didn’t know about other guys, and he wasn’t trying to brag, but he didn’t really enjoy having his rather well-endowed genitals smashed. Apparently being well-endowed ran in the family ( _although he’s never seen his father naked, ugh_ ) because by the feel of it, Vincent was above average, too.

He then forced on his black leather biker boots and grabbed his wallet, which he shoved into his left back pocket and then his keys in his left front pocket. When he picked up his phone, he noticed a new message.

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: Angeal**

_We need to talk. I know you’re angry and I’m sorry. We can’t avoid this forever you know. So please pick a time and you and I will talk. Just us. No Genesis, no Zack, and no Cloud._

10:41 AM

He didn’t know why he had typed up a reply and had sent it. Maybe it was because he felt he was in a better mood at the moment, or maybe he just missed his friend. It was probably both. As adamant as he was about walking away from his old, strained friendships, another part of himself stubbornly wanted to hold onto old memories, old friendships. He didn't want to be just a [memory](http://static.zerochan.net/Final.Fantasy.Series.full.360149.jpg)... 

**From: Sephiroth**

**To: Angeal**

_Fine, but I’m busy today. I’ll get back to you later._

11:06 AM

The silver-haired adolescent stepped in front of his full length mirror to judge if his outfit was decent enough to wear. A slow smirk spread on his fair face as he regarded himself. Definitely not decent at all. If Vincent was attracted to him, and it was obvious that he was, then this would **kill** him. He wasn’t trying to tempt the other man, really. It seemed cruel, but he felt the need to test Vincent to see if he was really serious about ‘talking’ or just out to get some ass.

As Sephiroth stepped outside his room, he could hear Cloud and Zack laughing down the hall from the game room. It sounded like they were watching a movie or something. He had already told them he’d be going out for a bit and had bolted from the room before Zack could interrogate him.

He walked as quietly as he could in his boots with every intention of waiting near the front door. As he started to pass the guest room, he stopped abruptly outside the room. Zack would _never_ look for him in here, or at least, that’s what he told himself. His hand turned the doorknob and he opened it slowly to reveal once more, an empty, clean room with a made bed.

Well, fuck that. He’d _unmake_ it.

The jade-eyed male left the door ajar as he approached the bed with slow, even steps. The closer he got, the stronger that scent was. Once he was close enough, he grabbed the covers and flung them halfway off the bed. That _intoxicating_ scent caused him to stagger back and nearly fall on his ass. It was so strong it was as if his half-brother were stranding inches away from him. The next moment he knew; he had fallen fast first into the bed. He buried his face in the pillow and inhaled deeply. Hugging the pillow close to his face and body, he rolled around on the bed as if he were marking a kill, or his territory. The silver-haired boy then curled up on his side with the pillow still smashed to half his face and body. The scent was strangely comforting and nostalgic, reminding him of better days when he had been younger. He hadn’t meant to, but gradually, Vincent’s scent had lulled him into a sleep deep enough that he wasn’t aware of another presence in the room until he felt a hand touch his face. At first, he thought it was his mother until he opened his eyes and looked up to realize that it was his half-brother standing beside the bed, staring down at him with his typical unreadable expression.

“What?” Croaked Sephiroth as he slowly sat up and rubbed at his face.

Vincent inclined his head as he arched an eyebrow. “Something wrong with your bed?”

 _Yeah, you’re not in it._ Automatically thought Sephiroth before he could dismiss such a notion. Wait…Gaia, had he just said that _out loud_? Fuck, yeah he had. He could tell he had done so just from the taken aback look on his brother’s normally impassive face. In an attempt to save grace, he laughs as if he were joking. “Just kidding. You should see your face…”

“And you should see yours…”

“Yeah, yeah, I know…it’s all red and imprinted.”

“I was not referring to that…” said Vincent as he turned away and started heading for the door. When Sephiroth didn’t budge from his spot commandeering the older man’s bed, he stopped walking and turned his head just enough to peer over his shoulder from the corner of his eye at the boy. “…are you coming…or not?”

Sephiroth slid off the bed and grumbled, “Yeah, yeah, hold onto your butt...”

The older man seemed like he was about to say something, but appeared distracted as he stared at the younger male. The flattering, slow up-down wasn’t really all that subtle and lingered longer than would be considered normal for most people. Eventually, he turned his gaze away and waited quietly until Sephiroth was close enough before he strode out of the bedroom with the teenager following behind him.

 _Ah_ , so it seemed Vincent had passed his little tease of a test, after all. Perhaps the man was finally serious about giving him some much needed answers…

“Hey Sephy! There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for ya! For a minute there, I thought you’d already left us…” Called Zack as he jogged down the hallway to meet his friend. He trailed off in mid-sentence when he noticed Vincent standing there with his cantankerous friend. Cloud trailed behind him at a slower pace since he didn’t think it was necessary to bound around the house like a dog.

Sephiroth eyed the dark-haired teen warily. “What do you want?”

“You didn’t tell us where you were going,” pouted Zack in mock hurt.

The silver-haired adolescent crossed his arms and leaned to the side. “I was under the impression that I didn’t, and still do not, have to report to you.”

Zack’s eyes widened when a sudden thought had struck him like lightning. “You’re going out to meet JerkFace somewhere, aren’t you?”

“ _No, I am not. Shut up_ ,” hissed the silver-haired teen. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Vincent narrowing his eyes.

“Who’s this?” Interjects Cloud before Zack can open his mouth. The spiky-haired blond elbows his friend hard in the side in a silent way of telling him to drop the _JerkFace_ thing. He didn’t know Sephiroth for as long or even as well as his hyperactive friend, but he was insightful enough to know when not to push or prod.

“This is my half-brother, Vincent,” introduced Sephiroth quickly since he itched to get out of the house and away from prying eyes and ears. Impatience was clawing at him now to the point that he was sorely tempted to knock his friends out cold if they kept stalling him. When no one moved or uttered a word, Sephiroth realized he had neglected to introduce his brother properly to Cloud. He made sure to place subtle, yet special emphasis on the word friends. ”Vincent, you remember Zack…and this is Cloud. They’re my _friends_.”

“Hello, Cloud,” greeted Vincent coolly as he outstretched his arm to shake the blond boy’s hand. His crimson orbs were still narrowed ever so slightly as he stared at the blond. Something about the way he looked at Cloud was icy and calculated.

“Hi,” said Cloud who shook the older man’s hand for the necessary few seconds before he released him. Something about Sephiroth’s so-called brother was very off and…frosty. He wasn’t sure if he would like this Vincent and wondered why the man seemed so cold and unaffected. Before today, he had not known that his friend had a half-brother at all. He’d have to remember to probe Zack later for information.

“All right, you guys met, bye!” Rushed Sephiroth as he brushed past his friends to head out the front door. He didn’t have to look behind him to know that the older man was following him. Once outside, Vincent slinked over to his side and led him to his sleek, black car. The dark-haired male pressed the unlock button and opened the front passenger door for Sephiroth. Once his brother had slid into the leather seat, he closed the door before he walked around to the driver’s side. Once inside, he waited with a pointed stare for the younger male to buckle his seat belt. Once they were both buckled, he turned the engine on and backed out of the drive way with ease.

After several minutes of silence, Vincent cautiously inquired, “Who…is _JerkFace_?”

“He’s an ass,” answered the green-eyed boy with a smirk.

“Is he a _friend_?”

“Nope,” said Sephiroth who didn’t fail to notice how hard the man gripped the steering wheel and the clutch. How interesting. He filed away that information for later.

Vincent said nothing else for the duration of the drive and Sephiroth didn’t attempt to continue the conversation. Fortunately, the drive wasn’t a long one and only took them about 10 minutes to reach their destination. Once he parked and shut off the car, the older man stepped out of the car and waited for his younger brother to get out before he locked it. Then he looked to the boy and murmured, “Lead the way…”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

After several minutes of prolonged silence, Sephiroth grew fidgety on his spot sitting on a park bench located under the cool shade of some trees. Vincent sat next to him with a respectable amount of distance between them if they had been strangers. The older man had avoided staring at him for some time now and seemed sidetracked by some kids playing in the grass with their dog. Every now and then, Sephiroth would glance at him out of the corner of his eye, but always found him staring straight ahead, watching whatever movement seemed to catch his attention.

Despite what he had previously claimed, the man didn’t seem all that eager to talk at all. It almost seemed as if Vincent was trying to avoid it as long as possible, or maybe he was just waiting for Sephiroth to ask him questions? Fine by him. If he had to play interrogator to get the answers he sought, then he would. So he sat there mulling everything over in his mind trying to decide what to ask first. Eventually, he settled on something he should have thought of earlier, but hadn’t for whatever reason.

“Is there a particular reason why you insisted on talking in a public place during the day?” Sephiroth asked slowly while he watched the other man like a hawk. He didn’t even look away when a couple of joggers ran past them.

Vincent closed his eyes and said nothing.

After another length of strained silence, Sephiroth finally had had enough. He pushed himself off the bench and stood up as he glowered at the other male. His temper ultimately snapped, causing him to snarl, “I really don’t get you, Vincent. You claimed you wanted to talk about this shit, but then you just sit there like a mute? Is this all a sick mind game to you? Do you actually want to talk to me, or do you just enjoy riling me up and wasting my time? Huh? Yes, no, maybe so? Nothing, huh. Well, fuck this…I. Am. _Done_.”

Sephiroth whirled away right after he had spat those venomous words, but before he could stomp away, a hand had snatched him by his wrist. With immeasurable strength, Vincent effortlessly pulled him over and forced him to sit back down on the bench. He kept his crimson gaze fixed on anything but Sephiroth as he held onto his arm.

Sephiroth tried to yank his arm away from that iron grip, but the older man wouldn’t release him. “ **Let. Me. Go.** ”

“No. I will not. I can not…”

“What do you mean, no? I’m not fucking playing around here, asshole! Just let me go already!” Protested the young man as he struggled to break free.

“I tried to…”

The silver-haired boy immediately stilled upon hearing those three cryptic words. His anger was temporarily halted, but not forgotten as budding curiosity filled his being. “Tried to…what?”

Something in the older man’s voice sounded broken as he confessed, “I tried to let you go, I tried hard…so many times, but I failed. I could not…”

“Let me go? What are you talking about? I do not understand...”

“That’s just it, Sephiroth. You do not understand. You do not even remember. Do you think this is only hard for you? It is not easy for me, either.”

The younger half-brother didn’t even notice when his wrist was released from the other’s vice-like grip. He even scooted closer to Vincent as if afraid he might miss a word. In a lax voice, he soothed, “Then explain it. I am willing to listen…as long as you do not lie to me.”

“You asked me why I wanted to talk to you in a public place, during the day. What if I told you that the reason is because I can control myself much better during the day. At night, that is a different case…”

Sephiroth’s brows furrowed at that, clearly not having understood just what exactly the dark-haired man was getting at. Then he realized what it could possibly be. Why hadn’t he thought of it before now? His voice was soft and careful as he spoke. “Why? Do you…have a mental illness or something?

Vincent slowly turned his head until he was looking straight at his half-brother. Something simmered in his eyes, possibly anger or discontent. Whatever it was, it was clear enough that the raven-haired male was not pleased by that diagnosis. “No, I do not suffer from mental illness. Although…that would be easier to explain and maybe less difficult to bear…”

“Then what is it?” Sighed the impatient youth.

“If I told you, you would not believe me. Most humans do not believe in anything beyond themselves and what they believe to be true even if it is not. I want…to tell you _everything_. I long to reveal the truth to you, but I do not know how to…”

 _Humans…?_ His silver eyebrows rose at that unusual wording since most people wouldn’t refer to others as humans unless it was meant in disdain or some kind of slight. Nonetheless, he was dying to know what exactly was going on with this guy and he wasn’t about to give up when he was this close.

“Just spit it out already, Vincent. If I have to sit here all day in this disgusting heat, I will. Either way, neither of us is leaving this bench until you say it.”

“Very well…” Sighed Vincent as he cast his crimson gaze to the ground, his hands clenching the edge of the bench.  “I am half-demon.”

“Half… _demon_?” Repeated the younger man very slowly as if he were pronouncing a word he’d never spoken aloud before. 

“Yes, half-demon. I was born that way. My mother was, well, _is_ , a demon. Father is an intelligent man, but I do not believe he knows. He just thinks she is a crazy, unstable human woman. In a way, he is half right…” Confirmed the raven-haired man with his eyes still trained on the ground. He desperately wanted to look at his little brother to gauge his reaction, but he was afraid of what he would see.

If this had been any other person saying this to him, Sephiroth would have scoffed or laughed. But this was Vincent. His body language clearly displayed heavy amounts of tension and nervousness that rolled off him in turbulent waves. It was obvious he believed what he had confessed to him, but could Sephiroth believe such an outlandish thing? After all, Sephiroth didn’t even believe in God, Heaven, _or_ Hell.

“I know…you believe this to be true, but Vincent, there are no demons. You must be mistaken…”

Wine-colored eyes slowly turned until they had fixed themselves on the silver-haired boy. Frustration and no small degree of ire welled up in such fiery, yet chilly eyes. “See? What did I tell you? You do not believe me…even though you did see my inner demon come out, last night. You saw _him_ , who is a part of me, always has been…yet still you deny it…”

“My eyes were playing tricks on me. It was dark,” refuted Sephiroth even though in his memory, he clearly saw bright, glowing gold eyes and inhuman claws. He also remembered impossibly sharp teeth that had nipped at his skin and mouth, and had dragged against the sensitive skin of his dick. The more he thought about it, the more he remembered about that night. A blush rose to his cheeks as he remembered that the older man had given him pleasure without taking any for himself. It had been… _amazing_ , so amazing he had passed out after his orgasm.

“Were they…?”

“I don’t see those things now. You look human.”

A pained look crossed the older man’s face, which caused him to look away from the 18-year-old. “That is why I refer to Chaos as my inner demon. He is me, a part of me, but only comes out when I allow him to, or when he forcibly assumes control. I can control him well most of the time, but when you are around, it is a power struggle. I can keep him at bay during the day, but at night, he is much stronger. I do not know why. He just is…”

“So this thing…fights you when I am around? Why? Do I somehow piss it off or something?” Inquired Sephiroth in an effort to try to understand this situation. He didn’t believe Vincent, but the man was in pain and he found that he truly wanted to help him.

“Because he _wants_ you…as badly as I do. My inner demon is primal and chaotic, which is problematic in this world. I do not allow him to satiate his needs and that is why he is fighting harder now. The urge to destroy, to kill, is strong; however, the urge to mate is even stronger.”

“What are you saying exactly? He’s fighting you for some, what, _ass_?” Finally laughed Sephiroth while he shook his head at the silly notion.

Vincent openly scowled at the younger male. His patience was wearing thin and even now, during the day, the demon within attempted to frenziedly claw his way out. As he stared at the silver-haired boy, his eyes started to seep with luminous gold, replacing the crimson. He swiftly rose up from the bench and grabbed Sephiroth by the forearm. With an iron, unrelenting grip, he dragged the protesting boy out into the nearby woods. Once he was satisfied that there were no prying eyes, he shoved the adolescent male against the tree, but did not move to pin him. Instead, he stood close enough to grab him should Sephiroth attempt to escape.

“Are your eyes playing tricks on you now, boy?” Snarled Vincent in a voice that sounded disturbingly inhuman. He was paler than before with scar-like, jagged lines that streaked from his eyes half-way down his face and jutted towards each corner of his reddish black mouth. Even his hair was changed. The normally soft, raven hair looked serrated and spiky as it rose up behind him like multiple black horns. He held out his right hand and allowed the wide-eyed boy to watch as inky black, talon-like claws replaced cropped, human nails. The claws were long and shiny and looked to be at least six inches long as he held them out in front of the boy’s stunned face as tattered looking, red and black wings unfurled from his back, spreading wide and imposing. His pale face loomed closer to Sephiroth’s, golden eyes blazing with such heat and ferocity that it made the younger male gasp. The demon clenched its razor sharp teeth together, clearly displaying the pointy, extended canines like a wolf would bare its teeth to an enemy.

“ _Vincent_ …” Whispered Sephiroth, who was frozen with fear and disbelief. This thing, whatever it was, truly looked demonic. It was more frightening than any demon he’d ever glimpsed on television or in illustrations.

“He had his chance, but he failed. Humans are so weak, pathetic. They believe in nothing, yet claim otherwise, constantly contradicting themselves any way possible,” hissed the demon known as [Chaos](http://orig10.deviantart.net/24de/f/2011/132/b/1/vincent_is_chaos_by_karaudo-d3g73gz.jpg), his face mere inches away from the trembling teenager.

“W-what…do you want?” Stammered Sephiroth as his fingers curled, embedding nails into the bark of the tree his back was pressed against.

“You dare make a mockery of the bond that connects us, **angel**? You think this is a game I wish to play? This is no game, boy, and whether you are willing or not, you are mine, _ours_ ,” Growled Chaos, his hot breath rolling against the skin of Sephiroth’s neck. “…until the end of time…”

Despite his fear, the jade-eyed boy noticed the special emphasis on the word ‘angel’. It didn’t seem like it was being used as a term of endearment, either. “ _Angel_ …? What are you talking about?”

“Do not play stupid, boy. You are as much a half-breed as I,” sneered the demon. He then turned his face away and declared, “…I am **damned** to be forever bound to one of these _celestial_ beings. One who denies his heritage, including my own, and plays at being human. How utterly pathetic...”

“I am human! My family is human! I don’t know what the fuck you are, but I am human.” Shouted Sephiroth, his fear replaced by mounting rage.

“Oh? That _mother_ of yours is about as human as a snake, boy…” Jeered the demon in a voice oozing with dark mirth.  Without warning, he seized the teenager and spun him around. He pushed the boy face first against the tree and with a quick motion, tore the tank top from his body. Dark, deadly claws traced over each shoulder blade almost lovingly as he commanded, “Come out, little ones. You have slept long enough. Come out and show your master what he truly is...”

It happened so suddenly that Sephiroth had no time to react as something excruciatingly painful had ripped out of his back with such force it left him gasping for breath as his hands scrabbled at the tree. Panting harshly, he turned his head slowly to look behind him and couldn’t believe what he saw. Wings, actual fucking wings, had sprouted from his back! They were large and birdlike; the right one white and the left one black.

“So beautiful…” Breathed Chaos as he reached out and touched the black wing gently despite his recent, rough manhandling. Even though he had unmistakable distaste for celestials, he couldn’t help the unyielding attraction he felt for this particular half-angel. Unlike earlier, he took hold of the boy’s arm and turned him around slowly. “Do you see what you are now? There can be no denying it now…”

“How can this be…?” Whispered the overwhelmed silver-haired boy. Fear long forgotten, he wound his arms around the demon’s waist and buried his face in the crook of his neck. His voice was muffled, but still audible enough to be heard as he apologized, “…I’m sorry, Vincent. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you before. As fucked up as this is…I believe you now.”

“No need to apologize,” murmured Vincent’s calm voice.

Sephiroth immediately jerked his face away from the man’s neck to look at his face. Relief flooded him upon seeing that it was Vincent, and not Chaos, that he was currently clinging to like a needy chick. He noticed that his brother was looking at something with what looked like awe. The younger male looked behind him only to be reaquainted with his wings once more. He had hoped they had disappeared just like Chaos had.

“He is right, they are beautiful,” agreed the crimson-eyed man.

“How do I make them go away?” Inquired a flabbergasted Sephiroth. He couldn’t exactly walk around with those things jutting out of his back and was stumped about how he could make the wings disappear.

“Close your eyes and concentrate. Focus on what it is you want to do. In this case, focus on putting them away. Imagine them disappearing right into your back…”

Sephiroth’s eyes slid shut with every intention of following Vincent’s instruction. He breathed deeply as he imagined his wings folding and slipping right back where they had originally burst out from. He concentrated so hard that he didn’t realize he had succeeded until he felt hands skimming over the bare skin of his back and over his shoulder blades. With bated breath, he peeked one eye open to look behind him. The half-angel exhaled deeply in relief once he saw that the wings were gone. “Oh, thank Gaia…”

“I am also sorry about your shirt,” apologized the raven-haired male although he didn’t sound particularly sad to see the tank top in tatters.

“Oh, well…” sighed the adolescent as he eyed the remnants of his favorite, shitty tank top.

Vincent withdrew from Sephiroth to unbutton his dress shirt. Once it was completely unbuttoned, he shrugged it off and hung it on a nearby tree branch. Underneath the dress shirt was a plain, but thin black t-shirt that he wasted no time in pulling it off over his head. He held it out to the younger boy in offering. “This will have to do until we get you back home…”

“Aren’t you hot in this heat? Damn, Vincent, I was sweating buckets in that little, thin piece of crap top!” Exclaimed Sephiroth as he gratefully took the t-shirt and pulled it on over his head until it was hugging his upper body quite snugly. He wanted to smirk when he noticed the older man checking him out with what looked like appreciation.

Vincent said nothing until he had completely donned on and buttoned his dress shirt. He shrugged. “The heat doesn’t bother me. Come, let’s get you back…”

“No.”

A thin, dark eyebrow arched up at that. “What do you mean, no?”

“We’re not done talking, yet, and besides, I don’t want to go home, yet,” answered Sephiroth as he grabbed Vincent’s right hand and led him back out into the park. He didn’t let go even as they began to walk on the path through the park.

Several minutes passed before Sephiroth bore the courage to speak. This time, he had a feeling Vincent had been waiting patiently for him to initiate the conversation first. He laced his fingers with his half-brother’s and didn’t give a damn what anyone thought.

“Vincent…what did he mean when he said that I was _yours_?”

The half-demon sighed, “It is a long story, but one you deserve to know. It is the reason why I unintentionally hurt you all those years ago.”

Sephiroth’s ears perked at that. “Go on…”

“I adored you when you were a child, Sephiroth. Even then, I thought you were beautiful and bright…and you followed me everywhere. It was endearing to receive such attention from you and I loved having you as my little brother. I loved, and still love, your entire family and every visit was…an experience that made the past seem irrelevant. But most of all, it was you I looked forward to seeing most. Your smiling face…your inquisitive nature…and the little pranks you loved pulling on your sister, and sometimes on me. I loved the quiet moments, too, when I would be reading, or sleeping, and you would curl up on the couch with me or on me like a cat. Sometimes you would have a bad day and would cry into my chest and I would comfort you…and then you’d smile and forget what had upset you. Other times, you just wanted to be close to me just because, I suppose. Truthfully, I always felt at peace when you were around. You were such a light for me, Sephiroth. You do not even know how much you meant to me then…”

Sephiroth listened with such rapt attention that he nearly ran into a stranger. Luckily, Vincent had been paying attention and had pulled his brother away before any damage occurred.

“Then one day, I came to visit…and you were suddenly _older_. A young, beautiful adolescent boy. The child in you was fast disappearing so much so that I felt the need to grieve for the child you used to be. As a teenager, you should have been interested in hanging out with friends, dating girls, and ignoring your family…but you were not interested in that. Yes, you did mostly ignore your family, but you still insisted on clinging to me. You followed me everywhere and even crawled into bed to sleep with me at night like you had done as a child. And you still curled up with me on the couch…but it was… _different_ , somehow.”

“Different how?” Asked the green-eyed male, sensing that they were getting closer to the truth behind the rejection. Soon he would know why his brother had turned his back on him years ago.

Vincent smiled sadly at him. “I had begun…having impure thoughts about you. I did not realize it at first, however. Your touch…left me with a pleasant warmth I craved more of. My thoughts centered on you more than was usual and I felt compelled to hug you more than I usually had in the past. I was completely enamored with you, but not as a brother. Then…one day, you climbed on top of me while I was reading and threw my book away. You smiled down at me and I was struck with just how beautiful you were. I looked up at you and all I could think about was… _kissing_ you, so I did. The moment I pressed my lips against yours…I lost my nerve. It was then that I realized that I wanted you as more than a brother. My inner demon, Chaos…felt the same pull as I had…”

As the older man talked, Sephiroth could actually see the story playing out, but from his point of view. He was…remembering everything now. He remembered Vincent kissing him and how it had made him feel. The half-angel remembered wanting it, though, and enjoying the press of his brother’s lips against his own. He remembered wanting something, but not quite knowing exactly what he had wanted from his brother at the time.

“I was appalled at what I had done, at what I wanted to do. You were my brother…and I wanted to make love to you. But I could not, would not take your innocence from you. I had to keep my distance lest I…give into my sickening urges. I felt it wasn’t right and that something was wrong with me. Chaos naturally disagreed with me, of course. He had no qualms…about waiting for you to be older. Even he knew you were still too young for such things. He told me I was being stupid, that I was in denial. And he was right. I ran away from you to protect you, to get rid of the unnatural, consuming love _and_ lust I felt for you. The farther I went, the more I pined for you. I knew you were hurting, too, and I had hoped you would have…moved on, and forgotten me. But you did not. It seems you took my distance and absence to heart. I did not mean to hurt you and I am sorry for it, but at the time, I thought it was the right thing to do. I was wrong, I know that now…” explained Vincent with regret weighing heavily in his voice.

“It wasn’t right,” agreed Sephiroth and he squeezed Vincent’s hand as his way of urging him to continue.

Vincent nodded slowly and squeezed his hand back.  “I tried to forget you, to move on. I could not even touch anyone else without feeling…like it was wrong, _sick_ even. I tried to date others, but I always broke it off before it progressed past kissing. I was even engaged at one point to a lovely, bright woman. I tried to love her, but I could not even touch her. Her touch repulsed me and I did not want her. Chaos hated her and would scream at me to stop my foolishness already and to go claim you for my own. As it turned out, Lucrecia and I were not only fooling one another, but ourselves as well. I loved you and she loved someone else…so we broke off the engagement with no ill feelings. At that point, I stopped caring about the fact that you and I were of our father’s blood. Like I said before, I could not stay away from you. I tried to stay away, to let you go, but I could not. I cannot…”

“What are you saying? You came back for me?” Questioned Sephiroth as he felt something akin to hope well up in his chest.

Vincent abruptly stopped walking and turned to face the younger man. He caressed the side of Sephiroth’s face with the backs of his fingers. “Yes, I came back just for you. It took me a long time to accept it, but I can deny it no longer: you are my mate, my other half and I love you beyond all else. Even if you do not…return my sentiments, I will accept it as long as you are by my side. I will…keep my hands to myself from now on, even if you never wish for more than friendship…”

Sephiroth could feel his heart hammering wildly in his chest while he digested all the information that had been freely given to him. He felt so many things at once to the point that he didn’t know how to even begin properly analyzing it all. It was all a lot to take in and he should be feeling numb, but he wasn’t. For the first time in ages, he felt lighter than air, as if he could soar up high in the sky. And heh, he probably could fly now if he tried to. In time, he would probably grow used to the irrefutable truth of what he and Vincent physically were, and what had occurred between the two of them in the past. But right now, right now all he could think about was that Vincent had said that he loved him. This unrelenting pull they both felt towards one another was more than just lust. It was more, it was merciless…it was _fate_. Sephiroth didn’t believe in God, but he believed in Vincent Valentine.

_Vincent loved him._

As that thought repeated itself like a mantra in his head, Sephiroth’s eyes noticed Icicle Inn off in the distance to their right for the first time all day. The sudden desire to go there pulled at him from inside out until he looked at Vincent expectantly. This…was impulsive, but he was sure it was what he wanted, no, _needed_. If what his brother had said was true, then he could deny him nothing, would deny him nothing.

With that in mind, Sephiroth pulled Vincent close to his body and brushed his lips against his brother’s lips in a sweet, deep kiss intended to tempt him. He nearly smiled when he saw the crimson-eyed male stare at him openly in surprise. “Let’s go to Icicle Inn.”

“Sephiroth…” Hesitated Vincent even as his arm snaked around the younger male, pulling him flush up against him.

“This time, I want to feel more than just your mouth or fingers,” declared Sephiroth as he reached between them to palm at his brother’s already half-erect confined cock. He smirked a little when a teenage girl walked by staring curiously at them as she passed.

“Do you know...what you are asking for?” Asked Vincent as he fought hard to control himself.

The half-angel scoffed at that. “I am not asking. I am _telling_. I want you. I wanted you then, and I still want you now. I don’t care anymore that you are my brother and everything else…we’ll deal with _later_. Right now…I want you to **fuck** me.”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

 

Disclaimer(s): I do not own any of the images linked or shown above. Images only used as references. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed Vincent finally giving our babe some much needed answers. 
> 
> I’m also aware that in the game, Sephiroth has ONE wing, but I wanted him to have two. My old Myspace page has Sephiroth with what looks like two wings, one black and the other white, and I thought it was so cool. Still do, so we’re going with that. 
> 
> I will warn you, though, there should be smut next chapter. :D


	5. Into The Deep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING for Half-sibling smut, slight violence, death, blood, and attempted rape/murder. You have been warned.

 

Vincent had barely made it into their room _and_ closed the door when he was shoved hard against it with a mouth crushed hard against his own. Impatient hands ripped open his dress shirt, buttons flinging everywhere as said hands yanked the shirt from the half-demon’s body. The hands burned a trail down over his chest and abdomen before latching onto his belt and hastily unbuckling it. The raven-haired man grabbed those hands to halt them and reluctantly pulled away from a ravenous mouth. Panting lightly, he then urged, “Seph-Sephiroth, slow down now…”

“You want to stop?” Snapped a breathless, irritated looking half-angel. His silver eyebrows are furrowed and mouth drawn into a frown.

“No, of course not. I just do not want to hurt you…so slow down a little,” explained the crimson-eyed man who wanted nothing more right now than to bend the boy over and fuck him hard. He controls himself because he knows what Sephiroth wants requires some time, patience, and preparation. He was deathly serious when he had said he intended no harm to be done.

“Fine, but if you take as long as you did explaining things to me today then I’m going to kick your ass,” promised Sephiroth as he walked backwards towards the bed while he yanked the black t-shirt off from his body. He drops it to the ground and smirks when there is no response except for the older man watching him intensely with barely concealed hunger. The adolescent plopped down on the edge of the bed before he quickly tugged each boot off and tossed them carelessly to the side. His heartrate increased while his hands fumbled at his belt buckle without success because his mind had finally caught up with his body. This was real, this was about to happen, and after this, there was no going back…

A cool hand and its twin gloved hand, gently pushed Sephiroth’s shaking hands aside to unbuckle his belt for him, but did no more than that. The man currently knelt on the floor between the teenager’s legs brought his half-brother’s hands to his mouth and kissed each one devotedly. He then looked up at the silver-haired boy through half-hooded eyes. His voice was soft, yet husky as he said, “If you want to stop, we can stop…anytime, no matter what. You do not have to do this if you do not want to.”

“No! I do want this. Really, I do. This is…just too real, is all…”

“Very well. If you want me to stop whatever I am doing to you, say _Hojo_. That is your safe word. If you would later like a different word, then tell me,” instructed Vincent as he rose up from his crouch after he had unbuttoned and unzipped the younger male’s pants. Gripping the hem of each jean leg, he then with great care, ( _yet still on the speedy side_ ), pulled the pants down and off the boy’s body.

“I won’t need to use it,” snorted Sephiroth. He squirmed a bit under the watchful gaze of his brother, suddenly feeling self-conscious, which had never been a problem before for him. He felt naked and vulnerable now, which didn’t help anything that Vincent was still clad in his damn pants. “You better take those pants off or mine are going back on.”

“You are very demanding,” sighed Vincent as he worked to rid himself of his pants and shoes. If he had had his way, he’d still be fully clothed, or at least, partially; however, he knew better than to argue with the stubborn angel. He was not proud of his scarred up body, but if this beautiful boy could accept him being half-demon, then he could very well accept everything else, too. Despite this, he still found himself perplexed by his little brother’s unwavering, yearning gaze.

Sephiroth crawled backwards slowly until he was fully on the bed and arranged his body so that the older man could get more of an eyeful. “Shut up and get your sexy ass over here before I start without you.”

“Not until you tell me the **word** you will say if you have need of it,” refused Vincent, who looked away and thought of something vile so that he wouldn’t immediately pounce on the sprawled out angel. It was such a tempting sight that had his will power crumbling apart like a corn muffin.

“ _Hojo_. There, happy now?”

As soon as those words had left Sephiroth’s mouth, the older man had crept onto the bed like a man possessed. His mouth sought out and devoured Sephiroth’s while hands burned trails all over the boy’s quivering, smooth body. Hips undulated against each other, creating delicious friction for the painfully erect cocks that rubbed insistently against one another. He suddenly stared down in puzzlement when the half-angel turned his head away to the side while he panted harshly.

“No…no foreplay. Maybe later, but right now…I _want_ you,” purred Sephiroth seductively while he wrapped long legs around the half-demon.

Vincent shivered at the shift in position as his groin rubbed against an all too eager ass. That’s when he realized something vitally important that made him want to smack himself. “I don’t have anything to ease the way…”

“I don’t care…use spit, blood, or semen, or whatever…” hissed Sephiroth, too aroused and impatient to care about injury on his part.

“Turn around, put a pillow under your hips and spread your legs. The sooner you comply, the sooner you will get what you want,” ordered Vincent in a rough voice as he untangled himself from the green-eyed male. He sat back as he waited for the adolescent boy to obey. He smiled slightly and shook his head as he watched the boy scramble to carry out his orders. It seemed like only a matter of seconds had passed before Sephiroth was positioned exactly as commanded.

Sephiroth felt the mattress dip followed by the sensation of silky long hair tickling the skin of his thighs and buttocks as his cheeks were gingerly spread apart. He braced himself for what he assumed would come next only to be pleasantly surprised by the feeling of something slick and warm that swiped at his orifice. He gasped when he felt that wet appendage shallowly enter him, tasting and coating him with saliva while it worked thoroughly to loosen him. When said tongue slid deeper into him, he moaned and writhed desperately until firm hands held him down in place. Vincent worked him open as much as he could with that particular muscle until he had the half-angel a mewing, yes, a _mewing_ hot mess. Soon enough, long fingers joined the tongue, but it was not slick enough so he pulled away and leaned over Sephiroth. He placed three fingers against the boy’s mouth and ordered, “ _Suck_.”

The silver-haired male immediately opened his mouth and allowed Vincent’s digits to enter. He sucked on those fingers earnestly while his tongue swirled around the fingers, lathering them completely like he would to another part of the older male’s anatomy. When the half-demon deemed them slick enough, he removed his fingers and settled back between long legs. Pulling apart tensing cheeks, he circled the boy’s entrance with the tip of his saliva-slickened finger before slowly easing the finger in. When he met resistance, he soothed, “Relax, just relax Sephiroth. Do not forget to breathe. It will hurt less…”

Jade-colored eyes opened slightly and he inhaled deeply before doing his best to relax his entire body. To be honest, he had never done this before with anyone. Sure, Angeal and him had done some things, but they had never gone all the way since he had never trusted his friend, well, ex-boyfriend enough for such an intimate act. Because of this, he felt apprehensive knowing that soon something much larger would be breeching him and taking away his innocence. Nonetheless, he still trusted Vincent with his body and felt that his brother wouldn’t dare hurt him.

“You’re doing just fine,” consoles the crimson-eyed man when he is finally able to sink his finger completely in to the knuckle. He gradually eased his finger almost completely out before he slowly sank it back in in and then out repeatedly in an attempt to get him accustomed to the foreign feeling of something invading him. He then carefully inserted a second finger and upon feeling the muscles tense around his fingers, he leaned over and kissed Sephiroth’s left ass cheek to pacify him. “…relax, you are doing very well. It will get better…”

Sephiroth forced himself to relax and breathe deeply again. The feeling wasn’t necessarily painful, but it felt strange and uncomfortable to a certain degree. In spite of this, his trapped erection was still hard and leaking as it twitched and rubbed against the pillow and his stomach while he squirmed. Vincent wasn’t having any of that, though, which caused him to smack him on the ass hard enough to cease his wriggling. Even though he couldn’t see the demon, he still smirked a bit to himself despite the stinging pain that felt strangely… _good_. He mentally noted that as something to explore later on _after_ they’re comfortable enough with one another.

The silver-haired boy shook away such thoughts to instead focus on the feeling of fingers stretching him from the inside with scissoring motions. He gasped when eventually a third finger penetrated him, stretching him wider before methodically thrusting in and out at a normal pace. Without warning, the fingers crooked inside him, searching and feeling for something specific. The moment they brushed lightly against his prostate, he screamed and involuntarily kicked one of his legs out. His foot would have smashed into Vincent’s face had the man’s reflexes been any slower. Despite almost getting nailed in the face, the raven-haired man chuckled, “I suppose that means I found it…”

“No shit, Sherlock,” snickered Sephiroth until those fingers pulled out and thrusted back in at a precise angle to slam against his sweet spot again. He screamed louder this time as white hot pleasure ripped through him, causing him to push back against the invasive digits.

“I might have to get a _gag_ for you, my little screamer,” murmured Vincent as he continued to abuse Sephiroth’s prostate without mercy. He leaned over, hair skimming against skin as his lips trailed up the younger man’s spine. He smiled against the boy’s intoxicating skin from just how eagerly he was fucking himself on Vincent’s fingers. It seemed as if whatever edginess and discomfort he had been feeling earlier had fled the moment the half-demon had found his prostate. His brother felt loose enough to take him now, but he decided to play with him a little longer despite the mounting need he felt to fuck Sephiroth hard into the mattress until he couldn’t move or scream anymore. He had waited all these years for him; he could wait a little longer.

Sephiroth seemed hip to Vincent’s game since he tossed a glare over his shoulder at the older man and spat, “Vincent, if you don’t fuck me right _now_ I swear I will fucking kick you in the face on purpose this time…”

“We don’t want that, now do we? Very well,” caved Vincent with a half-smile. He swiftly removed his fingers and sat back on the balls of his feet. A hand remained on Sephiroth’s ass, kneading it almost as if it were dough of some kind. “…now then, how do you want it?”

The half-angel, no longer agitated, mumbled into the bed, “I want to see you...”

“Turn around and spread your legs. Stay relaxed and keep breathing. This part…may hurt at first, but it will feel better,” instructed Vincent while he lazily stroked his erection, deliberately using his hand to spread his slick.

Sephiroth quickly rolled onto his back and parted his legs as far apart as they could go without straining himself. He propped himself up on his elbows and craned his neck to view Vincent better. The silver-haired adolescent watched in silent fascination for a few moments while his half-brother touched himself in front of him without any shame. He shuddered when his green eyes locked with the other man’s burning stare. The half-angel drew his hands down his torso and abdomen until he was so close to touching his own enflamed, neglected cock. When a hand lashed out to intercept his questing ones, he snatched the older man by the arm and jerked him down on top of him. His seemingly endless legs quickly wrapped themselves around the other man’s waist, effectively trapping him. One hand clung to the half-demon’s back while the other hand tangled itself in unruly inky black hair while his mouth sucked the breath out of the other man’s.

“You are a bossy brat,” pointed out Vincent without any real ire when they parted for the hindrance known as air. If there had been a proper headboard, he would have tied his impatient, feisty brother up. That would have to wait for another day when he properly had him sleeping in his own bed.

Sephiroth snorted, “And you are an insufferable, perverted old man.”

“Says the one grinding his dick against mine like a wanton little slut,” growled Vincent as his hands slid against slightly sweat-slickened skin to latch onto legs. He unhooked them from his waist and bent the left leg until it was pressed against Sephiroth’s chest. With eyes locked on the young man beneath him, he licked his hand entirely before he spat in it and brought it down to coat his length with as much as possible. The mixture of saliva and pre-ejaculation wasn’t most ideal for this affair, but it would have to do.

The half-angel forced himself to relax more once he felt the tip of the other man’s cock nudge at his opening. He tried to keep breathing as he felt Vincent leaning over to position his cock at just the right angle before he slowly pushed past his sphincter until just the head was trapped inside. The half-demon paused a moment to pepper kisses all over Sephiroth’s sweating face. In the next moment, he resumed thrusting shallowly into the younger man, slowly and carefully inching his way inside, stopping every now and then when called for, until he was buried to the root. In spite of the convulsing, hot muscles that gripped him tightly, tempting him to move, Vincent remained still. His right hand snaked up between them to grip and jerk at the erection trapped between their bodies in an effort to distract the boy from the temporary discomfort. The dark-haired male kissed him all over his face until he met lips that opened easily for him, obviously thankful for the comfort and diversion.

Sephiroth’s arms clung tightly to his brother as he adjusted to the overwhelmingly full feeling of having such girth stretching him wide open. He suddenly felt immensely grateful that Vincent was such a patient, caring man who had chosen to ignore Sephiroth’s multiple pleas and barks to just fuck him already. Even now, his half-brother was both controlling himself _and_ doing whatever he could to ease Sephiroth’s discomfort. Discomfort, yes, not pain. There had been no real pain during the preparation or the initial act of penetration. Everything Vincent had told him was proving to be true and he honestly marveled at the sheer will power of the older man. If their roles had been reversed, Sephiroth didn’t know if he would even had had half the care and patience that Vincent clearly had shown him so far. He felt tears prick at the corners of his eyes until they broke and rolled down his face in twin rivulets.

“Sephiroth…what’s wrong? Are you in pain?” Fretted a very worried sounding Vincent once he had noticed his young lover crying.

“I love you…” Smiled Sephiroth as he hastily wiped away his tears after admitting such a thing. It had been the first time he had ever told Vincent that he loved him. Well, those times as a child didn’t count since that had been a different love then. He smiled wider upon seeing how wide and surprised those crimson eyes looked at him now. The heat that had been behind them before, was burning hotter now as Vincent kissed him fervently. Desire flared up in the silver-haired boy, which caused him to buck his hips to get the other man moving.

Taking the hint, Vincent pulled out halfway only to slowly slide back in with both hands anchored to the angel’s hips. He repeated this action a few times until he gradually found a steady rhythm that worked for the both of them. It didn’t take long for the sexy, moaning mess underneath him to start rocking his body against his in earnest. Long legs once more enclosed possessively around Vincent’s narrow hips, pulling him closer as his body sucked him in with every deep thrust. Realistically, the half-demon knew this coupling wouldn’t be slow and sweet nor could it last long. The sight, smell, and feel of his _mate_ wrapped around him so deliciously only spurred him to slam into his ass at a faster and deeper pace. Whatever reservations he had had about hurting him vanished once he had smashed against that beautiful walnut-sized gland that had Sephiroth bowing his back and screaming out his pleasure without shame. Vincent was a silent lover and barely uttered any sounds, but he did enjoy talking dirty into the ear of the writhing, incoherent half-angel beneath him.

“Oh, god, Vincent, I’m gonna…” Breathlessly moaned Sephiroth with eyes screwed shut as his hands clawed desperately at a pale, scarred back while his hips urgently rolled upwards meeting each wild, ruthless surge into his willing body. He vaguely caught and understood Vincent growling something heatedly into his ear; however, the sound and ardor of it was enough to make him shudder.

A hand slipped back between their bodies to wrap tightly around Sephiroth’s turgid, weeping dick. Vincent pumped it in time with every hard plunge into that tight, vice-like heaven. He was already close to spilling himself, but wanted the younger male to beat him to it first. The double stimulation of him jerking his cock and slamming against his prostate repeatedly proved to be too much for Sephiroth. With a ardent cry that reverberated throughout the room, a head of silver flung back in pure ecstasy, exposing a beautiful neck. Temptation at that sight was Vincent’s final undoing as Sephiroth’s ass convulsed uncontrollably, clamping down so hard on him it bordered on pain, but was hardly noticed since indescribable pleasure ripped through him, shattering all reason and being.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“That was… _amazing_ …” murmured Sephiroth after he had recovered from his post-orgasmic daze. He propped himself up on his elbows when he felt a dip in the bed and a warm, wet washcloth cleaning him thoroughly between his legs. Normally, such an act would have seemed demeaning to him, but he was feeling too good to care what Vincent did to him now. Feeling lethargic, he dropped back down into the pillow and turned his head to the side away from the rays of light that streamed into their room. He started and moaned low when he felt a tongue lavishing his sore, puffy orifice. It stung somewhat at first, but after some time, the ache faded away to be replaced by pleasure. Had it been a different day, he probably would have been up for round two, but he was too drained from the mentally, emotionally, _and_ physically fatiguing day they had both shared together. Despite this, he still groaned when the older man eventually stopped licking him to drop down beside him on the bed. Arms pulled Sephiroth close, spooning him from behind as his chest pressed against the younger male’s back.

“Did you mean it?” Mumbled Vincent, his face buried in Sephiroth’s lustrous hair.

“…mean what?” grumbled the half-angel before he yawned. He shifted around until he was more comfortable and even pulled the other man’s arms tighter around him. It was strange to think that prior to this, he had never once enjoyed cuddling. Well, that’s not exactly true. He had always enjoyed being near Vincent in this way, but never with anyone else. Not even with his own mother. Only with Vincent. He felt greedy as he basked in the warmth and strength that was his new lover.

“What you said earlier…”

“Be more specific, Vincent. I said a lot of things.”

Vincent sighed. “Nevermind…”

“Are you talking about when we were…” Trailed off Sephiroth once he faintly recalled what had been said during their love making. Yes, that was what it had been. He had told Vincent to fuck him, but his brother had loved him instead. The younger man couldn’t claim to be disappointed by such a thing since he didn’t feel dirty or used.

The raven-haired man remained silent and didn’t move a muscle.

“Yes, I meant it,” confirmed Sephiroth as he took Vincent’s right hand into his left, lacing their fingers together. As ravenous as his brother could be, Sephiroth could tell that Vincent was naturally a passionate, romantic being. If that is what he wanted, then that is what Sephiroth would allow. Well, as long as it wasn’t overbearing or fucking sappy. _Ugh_. Vincent better not be anything like Zack…

Vincent pressed a slow, gentle kiss to the nape of Sephiroth’s neck as he tightened the embrace.

“So…what now?”

“We sleep,” murmured the crimson-eyed man.

Sephiroth snorted. “No, I mean… _this_. What happens now?”

“That is up to you. I already told you that I would have you by my side, but I cannot force you, will not force you, into something you do not want or cannot handle,” answered Vincent with a small sigh.

“You leave in a few days,” unhappily pointed out the half-angel. To think, just a day or two ago, he had longed for Vincent to leave. Now, he couldn’t stomach the mere thought of him ever leaving.

Vincent replied simply, “Yes.”

Anger boiled up within Sephiroth as the simple answer. He felt cheated by it and wanted nothing more than to turn around and punch him. The younger man tried to break free from the other man’s arms, but the arms wouldn’t release him. “Fuck, Vincent! So you’re going to leave again, just like that? I don’t understand you…”

“We will have to work on your temper,” sighed the dark-haired male again.

“Let me go!” Hissed the silver-haired boy as he struggled to break free.

“No…I already told you, I cannot do that. Especially not now. Stop overreacting, Sephiroth. Yes, I am leaving in a few days…however, I am taking you _with_ me.”

Sephiroth immediately ceased his struggling and unhurriedly turned around to look at the older man. The arms allowed him movement, but still didn’t release him from their protective cage. He stared into solemn, wine-colored eyes that gazed back at him in such an unnerving way that he had to look away. “But what about…? What do we _tell_ everyone?”

“Tell them the truth, or tell them nothing. It matters not to me as long as you come with me.”

“My mother is going to fight me leaving, you know that…” Groaned Sephiroth as he envisioned Ifalna’s reaction to him leaving with such short notice or worse, admitting to her the true nature of his relationship with his half-brother. He never liked keeping anything from her even if it was something he didn’t reveal to her right away. The green-eyed boy held no illusions that his family and friends would accept such a taboo relationship. Just because Aerith was willingly on board with it didn’t mean the rest would be. This truly was a dilemma he couldn’t even begin fathoming a solution to. He could leave his family in the dark and continue this relationship in secret; or, he could reveal said relationship to everyone and risk them both being disowned and/or despised by friends and family alike. Despite legally being an adult at 18-years-old, he already knew his parents would probably fight this and accuse Vincent of corrupting their young son, of raping him. Sephiroth curled his lip in distaste at such an accusation since he wasn’t a baby and if this was something he had not wanted, he would not have submitted to Vincent’s amorous, somewhat aggressive advances. As much as he loved his family, the mere thought of not being able to be at Vincent’s side distressed him more than anything he'd ever felt before. Even though he was mostly an introverted person, he did yearn to tell the big things to the people closest to him. What was he going to do…?

“I will not be hurt if you choose to keep this a secret, Sephiroth,” murmured the weary man as he untangled one arm from the boy to brush some messy, somewhat damp gunmetal fringe from out of his face and tucked it behind his ear.

“I don’t want to keep you a secret...”

“Then don’t…” Yawned Vincent with his eyelids drooping as he draped his arm back around his younger lover. 

“Aerith…figured out that I like you,” started Sephiroth slowly, almost smiling when Vincent’s head jerked awake at that. “She doesn’t approve, of course…but she won’t get in our way. She said as long as we’re happy, she doesn’t care. And…she also said that if you hurt me, well, you can guess the rest.”

Half of the crimson-eyed man’s face sank back into the pillow, yet he kept one eye fixed on the younger male. He smiled softly and pulled Sephiroth closer to his body, tucking the angel’s head underneath his chin. “She truly is beyond her years to be so accepting…like you are. It took me years to accept it, but you two came to terms pretty quickly. You are both beings of immeasurable grace and beauty. I am thankful that she is choosing to stick by you in this…because everyone else may turn away from you. I do not want such an outcome, but like I said, it is solely up to you…”

The silver-haired boy could feel his eyes sagging despite how hard his brain was functioning to process everything. He mumbled something incomprehensible against the older man’s chest as his eyes slid shut of their own accord.

“Go to sleep. We will talk more after you rest,” whispered the half-demon as he tucked the sheet around the sleeping angel.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

_Several hours later…_

Sephiroth awoke to the sounds of sirens and of a car horn blaring in the distance. He sat up as he rubbed his face and glanced around at his surroundings when he realized he wasn’t at home. The inn room Vincent and him were in was bathed almost completely in darkness save for the street lamps and occasional headlight of a car that streamed dimly in through the room. He looked down at the slumbering form of the raven-haired man who was currently sleeping on his back with half the sheet off of his body. Sephiroth watched the subtle movement of his scarred chest as it rose up and down in even, almost silent breaths. He looked…so _beautiful_ , more than he usually did when awake, as he slept. It was still hard to believe that such a gorgeous, alluring man was half-demon and not half-angel like him.

With a deep, yet silent sigh, Sephiroth carefully crept out of the bed to quietly tug on his pants, shirt, and his boots. He glanced over at Vincent to make sure he was still sleeping since he didn’t want to needlessly wake him up. After he was dressed, he pulled out his phone and noticed the time. It was almost 9 o’clock at night and he had several missed calls and texts due to the fact that he had had the presence of mind to put his phone on silent before their… _chat_. Still, even if the ringer had been on, he could have probably still slept through the noise.

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: Aerith**

_Where are you? Are you OK?? :/_

7:44 PM

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: Aerith**

_I tried calling but you didnt answer. mom wants to know where you are so I stalled her saying youre out with friends. zack told me you went out with vincent. you better be ok seph or im hunting you both down and we both know im not as scary as mom. she is going to have a shit fit if she finds out I dont know where you are. so please call me soon!_

8:15 PM

Sephiroth had other messages to read, but he quickly typed up a message to his worried sister before he even bothered to read the messages from other people.

**To: Aerith**

**From: Sephiroth**

_I’m ok, Aer. Sorry my phone was on silent. We’re both ok, I swear._

8:57 PM

Before he could even switch to view his other messages, his phone alerted him of a newly received message.

**To: Sephrioth**

**From: Aerith**

_Oh thank god Seph! I should shave your head for worrying me so much! Are you coming home soon?_

8:58 PM

**To: Aerith**

**From: Sephiroth**

_In a few hours. We’re eating something right now._

8:59 PM

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: Aerith**

_Oh ok ill tell mom but please come home soon. im waiting up for you no matter what you say._

9:01 PM

He shook his head fondly at his phone as he checked his other messages which were pretty much Cloud and Zack asking where he was and what he was up to. He didn’t bother to reply since he figured Aerith would let them know what he had said. He didn’t have the heart to be annoyed at his sister because he knew if their situations were reversed, he’d probably be combing the streets for her.

Sephiroth pocketed his phone and then scribbled a quick note for Vincent just in case he woke up while he was out. The mention of food to Aerith had made him realize that he was hungry and hadn’t eaten pretty much all day. He remembered that there was a 24/7 convenience store nearby that took maybe a minute or so to reach by foot. The adolescent boy figured he could quickly grab a few snacks and some drinks and be back before Vincent was awake. He didn’t have the heart to wake him up for something minor like that, plus he wasn’t a kid anymore. That and the older man would probably be hankering for food, too, and it’d be nice to have something for him. As much as he wanted to spend the rest of the night at the inn, he already had promised to be home.

With that in mind, he quickly double checked to make sure he had his wallet, the room key card, and his phone. Once he was satisfied he was prepared, he quietly slipped out of the room and exited the inn ever mindful of the other residents. The funny thing about that now is that earlier when they were having sex, he hadn’t been wary at all about keeping quiet. As he walked on the sidewalk with his hands buried in his pockets, he felt his face burning from the recent memory of their first time together.  Well, technically, it had been the _second_ time, but that didn’t really count since they had not gone all the way that time on the couch. Ugh. He shook his head of such thoughts since it would be incredibly awkward to walk into the store with an erect dick outlined in his pants.

The bell on the door jingled as he entered the small convenience store. He nodded towards the middle-aged woman reading at the counter when she greeted him with some familiarity since she had served him a few times in the past. She didn’t even bother to watch him as he shopped since in the past, he had never stolen anything or caused any issues. Sephiroth’s strides were quick and purposeful as he navigated the store. He wasn’t sure what Vincent even liked to eat although he had noticed that his half-brother pretty much ate whatever he or his mother cooked without complaint. Just to be on the safe side, he decided to grab a couple sandwiches, some beef jerky, a piece of decent looking fruit, and a couple of bottled waters. Once he had paid, he left the store eating one of the jerky sticks and held a bag in the other. Despite his youth and familiarity with this moderately peaceful town, he kept himself alert as he walked.

Outside the night was cool, but eerily silent as he strode briskly on the sidewalk past several darkened buildings and alleys. The half-angel thought it odd that there wasn’t a single sound to be heard except for the sound of his boots tapping the concrete as he walked. An unpleasant feeling prickled his skin, which reminded him of the feeling of something crawling on him. The revolting feeling only intensified as he continued on his way to the point that his body suddenly halted in its tracks. Instincts on high alert forced him to drop the bag and duck as something large flew past him, narrowly touching him as the thing passed. Whatever it had been, it had soared into the alleyway.

“Well, well… _well_ …what have we here? A little angel, out all **alone** …” Sneered an unfamiliar, yet obviously masculine voice from the shadows of the distressingly dark alley. The only thing he could make out from the darkness were the pair of glowing red eyes that reminded him of something seen in horror movies.

“…it smells like one of **us** already had _fun_ with you, little angel. Tsk, tsk…he let you get away, hm? I promise you I will not make the same mistake,” continued the voice in a sadistic, sickening purr that forced the silver-haired boy to take an involuntarily step backwards. He wasn’t sure what the fuck that thing was or its true intentions, but he could sense they were not good ones.

“I don’t know who the fuck you are, but I’m not playing your sick game, so fuck off, asshole,” growled Sephiroth as he balled up his fists. Something told him running was futile since that thing was quick and it could _fly_. There was no way he was turning his back on the beast so the only real choices he had was to stand there frozen like a bitch or to fight the fucker. Eyes narrowed and jaw clenched, there was no way in hell he was going down without a fight. He had taken several different martial arts classes with his sister so he knew the basics, yet he wouldn’t dare claim that he was a professional. The green-eyed male knew enough to defend himself, but was it good enough against such a monster? He didn’t know, but he sure as hell would try.

A gust of wind slammed into him, which brought along with it the overwhelming stench of sewage and decay as something large landed right under the light. It was tall, nearly 8 feet, and its nude humanoid form was skeletal with leather-like greyish skin stretched tight over protruding bones. What was more frightening was the splatters of dried blood that was caked on all over the torso, abdomen, thighs, arms, and claws. Large, bat-like wings strained out behind it as if ready to take flight once again. Its face looked purely demonic with large red gleaming eyes with slits for pupils, scraggly, unkempt dark hair, and an elongated, wide jaw that was covered in what looked like old blood. Thin, wide lips stretched into a grotesque grin exposing cruel, jagged yellowed teeth. The thing, whatever it was, barely looked human as it hunched over, its claws slowly extended as if readying itself to make another kill.

“ _Fuck is right_ ,” hissed the demonic creature right before it lunged at the teenager like it had caught on fire.

Sephiroth dodged it quickly as it whirled by and somehow managed to turn and kick it as it passed. His booted foot connected with its side and sent it veering away from its original destination. He then leaped back and his eyes nearly bugged out of his head once he had realized just how _high_ he had jumped; however, he didn’t have time to process such a feat since the fiend had swerved around and was currently heading back towards him. If it didn’t look pissed before, it looked outright murderous now as it roared. Fear was the last thing Sephiroth felt since his adrenaline pumped wildly through his blood, spurring him to fight for his life.

The monster was faster this time and lashed out, with intent to grab or maim, he didn’t know, but he did dart away again. It managed to catch him by the arm, leaving behind rows of shallow, yet profusely bleeding gashes. It paused in a crouch as it brought its claws to its mouth and slowly licked its claws of Sephiroth’s blood. The beast’s eyes rolled back in perverted pleasure and it actually fucking moaned. “I haven’t sampled one of your kind as good as you taste…in ages. I originally was just going to eat you, but…I think I want to taste _more_ of you…”

Jade eyes widened at what was brutally implied and despite the adrenaline still raging through him, he suddenly felt abnormally cold and stiff. He tried to move, but found he couldn’t move any muscles, let alone even blink his eyes.

“What’s wrong? Can’t move? That would be my _venom_ ,” darkly chuckled the revolting creature as it landed right in front of its paralyzed prey. Its claws shrank before the adolescent’s eyes until they were only an inch or two long. “Do not worry. You didn’t get much…should only last… _oh_ …maybe five or ten minutes at most, but that’s more than enough time for me to take my **fill** …”

Before Sephiroth knew it, he had been slammed on his back and his shirt ripped from his body, _again_. The monster sat astride him, grinning down at him like a snake about to strike a rodent. It leaned over and with its perversely long tongue, licked a stripe from the boy’s naked chest all the way up his neck and across his stunned face. It then licked at the open wound of the boy’s arm and shuddered in bliss at the taste. One of its unusually long arms reached behind it to harshly grope and rub at the half-angel’s crotch. Its true intentions were then made blatantly known as it scooted down, sitting astride the boy’s muscular thighs so that it could unbuckle the belt. As it tugged down the pants, it cackled, “Oh, I am going to _enjoy_ you…”

“ ** _I would prefer if you didn’t_** ,” spoke a voice so low and sharp it seemed to cut through the very darkness itself. Said voice also sent heat blazing through the paralyzed boy’s freezing body. His fingers twitched once or twice as he laid there before he could actually bend them. Then he could blink and in the next few moments, he found himself lurching forward to smash his fist into the distracted creature’s vile face. It hissed as it flew backwards off of him, partially because of the blow and also because it was aware of the new threat that loomed close.

The click of a safety being taken off echoed in the air, which caused Sephiroth to momentarily jerk his head in the direction of the sound.  Barely three feet away stood Vincent as his right hand gripped what looked to be a _three-barreled_ handgun of some kind that was aimed above the half-angel’s head. His pale face was completely livid with rage that he didn’t bother to conceal. Crimson eyes flecked with gold burned with absolute, bone breaking fury as he glared hatefully at the monster that had previously assaulted his lover.  Despite his anger, his hand and arm remained still as death as he continued to point his revolver at the beast. For whatever reason, the half-demon was obviously waiting for something, but what?

“How the hell are you _moving_?!” Shrieked the grey-skinned creature as it bared its teeth. It was obviously upset at the interruption of the unwelcome interloper and the quick recovery of its tiresome prey.

“Do not concern yourself with him, _vermin_ ,” growled Vincent as his eyes glanced down briefly at the silver-haired boy in what looked like worry. As quickly as he had looked, his crimson stare was focused back on the enemy. Even as he glowered at the monster, his next few words were directed at his half-brother in a low murmur. “Can you move?”

Sephiroth suddenly realized the state of his pants and quickly pulled them up and buttoned them closed. He didn’t bother to buckle his belt; instead, he experimented with flexing his toes and tensing his leg muscles to find out if he could actually walk. They seemed to be working so he gave the older man a quick shake of his head.

“ _Good. Now…very carefully, stand up and get behind me_ …” whispered the raven-haired man without once releasing his incensed gaze from the creature that currently hissed and spat at them in its own rage. Whatever logic it had had earlier was gone and seemed to be overtaken by primal instinct.

With a curt nod, Sephiroth slowly rose up on fairly wobbly legs and almost tripped once or twice. He made no sudden movements as he edged backwards towards the older man, somehow knowing not to turn his back on the beast, until he stood behind Vincent. Any other day, he might have been miffed at being ordered around and treated like a child, but he knew this situation was a grave one. Besides, he didn’t know much, if anything, about guns and was interested in seeing how exactly a three-barreled gun worked.

Seeing its prey being taken by another, this _thief_ , was the last shove it needed for it to go utterly berserk. The monster roared, spittle flying everywhere while its mandible extended and claws lengthened. Something appalling seemed to ooze and drip from its long, cracked talons as the despicable beast hunched down low, wings positioned as it rapidly flung itself off from the ground. Wings flapped violently as the monster skyrocketed towards the pair with every intention of tearing them both apart—

**_BANG_ **

Until what sounded like thunder, exploded in the night air along with bright sparks that flashed like fireworks followed by the distinctive smell of gunpowder. The sound blared again and again until there was nothing left in the chamber to expel. The hand that grasped the gun quickly holstered it and fished out a phone in favor of dialing a special number. In hushed tones, the raven-haired man relayed that there was a ‘mess’ and the location of said mess.

While Vincent talked, Sephiroth crept forward to gawk at the remains of whatever the fuck that thing had been. He marveled at just how little was left _intact_ of the creature. Despite the explosion of blood and guts strewn about, most of the flesh was either charred beyond recognition or was currently still _burning_. A scene like this should have repulsed him, should have horrified him…yet instead, he felt nothing but morbid fascination and a sense of justified satisfaction. The half-angel had warned that bitch, it had chosen not to listen, and now it was a smoldering, mangled mess. Whatever the hell that thing had been, it had deserved this outcome, maybe even worse, and he would waste no time feeling pity or grief for its demise.

Vincent had intervened just in time, had _protected_ him, and had slaughtered the monster before it could do any further damage. Thinking these thoughts stirred up some heat in the pit of his belly that would have had him sorely tempted to jump Vincent’s bones had he not felt so weakened by the whole ordeal. There were numerous questions in the back of his mind, of course, but the need for something specific, like a mother’s embrace, reared up in him so suddenly that it caused him to whimper. He actually fucking _whimpered_.

Before Sephiroth could mentally flog himself for reacting like that, strong arms had whisked him against a hard, yet comforting body that he found himself clutching to desperately like it was his only means of life support. The stink of trash, of decay was gone only to be replaced by the soothing, intoxicating musk that belonged only to his half-brother, Vincent Valentine.

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will be answers next chapter. Sorry, had to cut it short since this chapter was running a bit too long. Hope you enjoyed and feel free to let me know your thoughts and such. Thanks for reading! :D 
> 
> My dog turned 12 years old today!


	6. Writing On The Wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not much action. Mostly a bunch of talking and hopefully interesting information. ;)

“I am afraid that this may scar,” disclosed Vincent while he gingerly wiped away the slight trickling of blood from the gashes on Sephiroth’s pale arm. He procured a fresh patch of gauze and pressed it firmly to the wound to help staunch the blood flow. He had already cleaned the wound as best he could with the medical supplies he had and in doing so, was somewhat surprised that Sephiroth didn’t flinch or utter a single noise or complaint.

Sitting on the edge of the inn bed wrapped up in a sheet, the half-angel said nothing as he allowed his half-brother to tend to his wound. Involuntarily shivers assailed his body sporadically, the adrenaline long since gone only to be replaced with shock, fatigue, and pain.

Before the raven-haired man could properly bandage the wound, a hand covered his own to stop him. Without looking at him, Sephiroth ordered, “ _Lick_ it.”

“…what?”

The half-angel closed his eyes and leaned his head against the older man’s chest. He then murmured, “I know you want to. I can _feel_ it…”

“I don’t know if that is such a good idea,” spoke Vincent, hesitation etched in his voice and body language. Despite this, his crimson eyes flickered down to stare at a small rivulet of blood that trailed enticingly down the younger man’s arm. Both of his hands trembled ever so slightly as he forced himself to tear his gaze away.

Sephiroth sighed and then gripped fistfuls of Vincent’s now button less shirt in his hands. “That thing…licked me there. I can still feel its vile tongue on me. Please…make that go away…take it away…”

“I might not be able to control myself if I do that,” warned the very tempted half-demon who fought hard to control himself.

“I trust you. You will not hurt me,” softly murmured the silver-haired boy.

“How do you know that?”

“I just do,” sighed Sephiroth, suddenly feeling a mild case of déjà vu since not too long ago his sister had asked him something similar and he had given her the same answer.

“That thing that attacked you…was a _demon_. Better yet, why aren’t you launching me with questions? Your usual self would have demanded answers…”

“Because right now, those answers don’t matter. They will still be there later tonight, tomorrow, even years from now. Right now…I do not want to think about that thing, or why you have a weird gun. I need you to cleanse me of that _taint_ …and then take me home.”

“Sephiroth…”

“I get it. You don’t have to sully yourself with me. I’m tainted now and I don’t blame you. I would probably be repulsed by such a thing, too,” mumbled the half-angel after he realized why the other was so hesitant to fulfil his wish, his need. He didn’t blame him for it and didn’t feel bitter about it. He just felt tired now…and dirty. He released his older brother’s shirt and stood up slowly and a bit unsteadily. He allowed the sheet to drop from his body as he begun stepping around the other man. When Vincent moved to block his path, he felt a twinge of annoyance at being stalled. All he wanted, no, needed to do right now was to get clean, well, as clean as one could possibly get after being assaulted by something like that.

“ _Sephiroth_.”

“I’m just going to take a shower. I don’t care if I bleed to death in there, which is unlikely to happen, by the way…as long as I get clean. I’m not mad at you, so just step aside,” spoke the green-eyed male lowly as he swayed on his feet. His eyes were half-lidded from exhaustion, yet brimmed full of sheer determination and of course, his trademark obstinance.

Vincent placed his hands on his half-brother’s shoulders to keep him in place before he picked up the woozy-looking adolescent bridal style. He strode quickly to the bathroom and nudged it open with his booted foot. The half-demon placed him gently on the closed toilet seat and then turned the shower on to a temperature a little bit hotter than warm. He turned around and knelt down before the half-angel to help undress him, which didn’t take too long considering he was only clad in pants and boots. The next thing Vincent did was to quickly strip himself of his own clothes before he helped the fatigued boy into the shower. Once they were both situated inside the stall, the dark-haired man stood behind Sephiroth as he held him with one hand while he used his right hand to carefully wash him of any and all grime. He didn’t complain when the younger male sagged almost completely against him, using his body as something to lean on.

“Stay awake for a little longer,” urged the older man, his mouth hovering mere inches away from his brother’s ear. Green eyes blinked open a few times as he groaned, trying to fight the rising desire to close them completely to submit to the comforting darkness. Eventually, he lost the will since his eyes slid shut, only to instantly snap open once he feels a sharp, yet not entirely unpleasant feeling. He groaned again, squirming against something soft. It took him a few moments to realize that he was lying in a bed wrapped up in a towel. The same sensation as before strikes him again, which makes him turn his fuzzy head slowly until his half-hooded eyes rest on Vincent.

The older man is seated beside him, body bent over as he cradled Sephiroth’s arm in his hands. It takes even longer for him to figure out that the man is cautiously licking the gashes on his arm one at the time in long, slow stripes. He groaned as the somewhat pleasant sensation tingled up his arm and throughout his body again. Golden eyes locked onto him, watching him very carefully without ever pausing in his administrations. He wasn’t the least bit alarmed so he closed his eyes again and drifted back to sleep feeling less like a mess and more at peace.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

When Sephiroth woke up again, it was to the sound of car horns honking and the muffled sounds of people talking outside. He laid awake, eyes still shut for at least another ten minutes before he decided to finally get up for the day. Blinking open bleary jade eyes, he slowly looked around, squinting from the bright light that streamed into the somewhat dark room. Next to him on the bed was Vincent, but this time, the man was fully awake in an upright position with a folded newspaper forgotten on his lap. Unreadable crimson orbs watched him closely while he stared back. For several minutes, both males gazed at one another without talking or moving a single muscle. In the end, it was Vincent who broke the silence between them.

“How are you feeling? The effects of the poison should have worn off by now…”

“I feel all right. A bit sore, but I’m okay,” answered the younger male honestly. It then suddenly hit him that they had spent the entire night in the inn. He jerked upright and groaned, “Oh shit…I told Aerith we were going to come home last night. She’s going to be royally pissed…”

Vincent handed him a bottled water as he spoke, “You need not be concerned about that. I called her last night while you were sleeping. I told her…you had food poisoning from lunch and that I would bring you home in the morning.”

“You’re a _savior_ …” sighed Sephiroth in relief as he unscrewed the bottle and gulped down every ounce of water until his thirst was satiated. When he noticed that the older man was staring at something, he followed his eyes to the source of his distraction. His green eyes widened in surprise once he realized that the gashes on his arm were _completely_ healed. Instead of the expected puffy, possibly infected open wounds, his arm bore five white raised lines that served as a grim reminder of the night before. He vaguely remembered Vincent saying something the night before about the lacerations possibly developing into scars. Even so, it wasn’t humanely possibly for a wound to heal that fast in such a short amount of time. Yet…despite this knowledge, he had to take into consideration that he was part angel, after all. He had some recollection that last night, he had been different somehow. The adolescent couldn’t pinpoint exactly what was different, but he knew it had been physical. Something about his body had been different, _enhanced_ , even. Even now, as he sat beside the other man, he felt an odd sort of strength seeping deep into the marrow of his bones.

The raven-haired man reached over and traced the five jagged scars with the tips of his fingers as if in regret. He then leaned over and replaced his fingers with his lips, kissing the scars in what seemed like his way of consolation. Vincent rested his forehead against Sephiroth’s shoulder as he murmured, “I am sorry…”

“For what? They’re just scars,” spoke Sephiroth as if he had gotten scratched by a cat and not by a monster. He half-smiled and pointed out, “Besides…now I match you. Although…I would have preferred if they had been made by you.”

Vincent slowly raised his head until he was level with Sephiroth once again. His crimson eyes looked horrified by such a statement. “I would never harm you nor would I leave a reminder of such an atrocity…”

“I meant like from sex or something,” sighed the younger man. He then shrugged and added, “You seemed concerned about hurting me last night…”

It was Vincent’s turn to sigh as he looked away as if ashamed or burdened by it.

“As I recall, you did not hurt me. Far from it. In fact, you saved me…and you…made it all better. You did not hurt me like you feared that you would,” consoled Sephiroth as he draped a hand over Vincent’s. “At any rate, I’m just relieved that thing is dead. It was…grotesque. Like a ghastly apparition from a bad dream…”

“Unfortunately it was not a bad dream. Those things, demons, do exist and they’re everywhere. They walk amongst us undetected by most humans unless they choose to reveal their true forms…or something triggers it. Most are smart enough to stay hidden or to be more discreet, but every now and then, there’s a _berserker_. It’s a term we use for the…more wild, uncontrolled ones that go on feeding frenzies,” explained Vincent as he stared down at the hand atop of his own.

“Do they all…look like _that_?” Slowly asked Sephiroth as he shuddered from the memory of the grisly creature. What truly shook him to the core was that, according to Vincent, demons ran rampantly amok in the world like cockroaches. After that train of thought, more questions bred themselves in his head until he was shooting out question after question relentlessly without pause. “Who is _we_? Are there others like you? And how do you know so much about them? And that gun of yours, where the hell did you get that? You didn’t have it on you last night…unless you had it in your car? And—“

A gloved hand gently stilled the younger male’s lips before he could barrage Vincent with more questions. “To answer the first one, no, they do not all look like that. Like humans…they differ in their true appearance. As for the second, well, you could say I’m a bit of a demon hunter by trade. I’m sort of part of an organization that tracks, eradicates, and cleans up demons. We have people…who clean up and contain the messes, people who track down the demons, people who kill the demons, and so on. We all do our part to help out in the cause.”

“So…you’re like Vampire Hunter D? Except you’re not out on your own and you’re not shunned by humankind?”

Vincent blinked. “Who…is Vampire Hunter D?”

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively. “Nevermind. Anyway… _Batman_ , does your ‘sort of’ organization know what happened? Is that who you called last night?”

“Batman?”

“Oh, come on! _Everyone_ knows who Batman is.”

Vincent sighed, “I know who Batman is. I was just questioning the _relevance_ of being referred to once such as he.”

“Well, like Batman, you’re mysterious, intelligent, and ‘sort of’ part of an organization like he is. He’s ‘sort of’ part of the Justice League. I’m surprised you don’t run around in a cape…”

“This isn’t a joking matter, Sephiroth. It is a serious matter and I am trying to explain it all to you,” admonished the raven-haired man.

“All right, Mr. Valentine. Continue on. I won’t interrupt again,” promised Sephiroth as he tried his hardest not to dare crack a smile. Being firmly reprimanded by Vincent reminded him of one of his history teachers, Mr. Tseng. The man had been a stern and no-nonsense kind of man; however, in time, Sephiroth had learned that underneath all of those neat stoic layers, lay a kind man with a wicked sense of humor. Of course, he would never tell Vincent about him since for the longest time, Sephiroth had felt attracted to Mr. Tseng. There had even been a moment that he had almost kissed his teacher—

“…roth, are you even listening?” Sighed an annoyed sounding Vincent.

“Yes, yes, go on. You have my full, undivided attention,” encouraged Sephiroth with a sheepish grin. He folded his hands in his lap and stared at Vincent expectantly as if to prove that he was willing to listen now.

The raven-haired man remained silent for a long stretch of time as if to test the younger male’s word. Once he was satisfied by Sephiroth’s compliance, he continued his explanation. “As I was saying, I am part of an organization called the W.R.O. that’s operated and funded by a man called Reeve Tuesti. It’s been in his family for many generations now and is a worldwide organization. Because it is such a large, expansive organization with bases all over the world, it is also run and funded by several other people. No matter the differences in the members, the goals remain the same: to eradicate demon kind, to protect the people, and to maintain balance and order. To do this, the overall population is kept in the dark about W.R.O.’s existence and the very existence of demons.”

Sephiroth wanted so badly to make a crack about them being like the M.I.B. aka the Men In Black, but wisely chose to keep that to himself. His desire to learn more about these demons and Vincent overrode any and all childish impulses. Instead, he inquired, “But why keep the people in the dark? Shouldn’t everyone know what’s going on?”

“That is a debate several of the members always seem to bring up every year at the annual conventions. It never truly gets resolved since they usually argue in circles until ultimately, everyone drops the subject. In short, the main argument for the secrecy in the first place is to avoid causing panic and destruction. People…are fickle, unpredictable creatures that tend to act first and think later. We cannot afford such a thing in regards to this matter. It is unfortunate, but so far, it is the only option we have until someone else finds a way.”

The silver-haired boy nodded slowly in understanding. He didn’t exactly like the fact that the populace wasn’t aware of the sinister threat that loomed in the dark. He shivered upon remembering that he had almost been one of the undoubtable countless victims. “I see. What does W.R.O. stand for exactly?”

“It varies. Some say it stands for World Renewal Organization, World Restoration Organization, or World Regenesis Organization, and in some cases, World Reform Organization. Technically, they all mean the same thing so it doesn’t even matter.”

“Do…do they know that you are a half-demon?” Slowly asked Sephiroth with no small amount of hesitance. Despite his minimal knowledge of Vincent’s heritage, he could tell that the older man was sensitive about it.

Vincent’s wine-colored eyes were ice cold as he uttered, “Yes.”

A sudden thought struck Sephiroth, which caused him to shiver at such an implication. He frowned and drew his eyebrows together as if someone had smacked him in the face. “Are you…a willing member of the W.R.O., or are you being…coerced into hunting those things?”

“Yes…and no. It is a very long story that I do not wish to tell right now,” sighed the weary looking half-demon as he leaned back more fully against the headboard of the bed.

“I understand. Will you…tell me someday?”

Vincent smiled softly and reached over, briefly cupping the side of his young lover’s angelic face. “It is hard to say no to such a face…when you look at me like that.”

Sephiroth smirked. “Good to know. I’m taking that as a yes.”

“As for the gun…a friend designed it for me. In fact, while you were sleeping…he came by with supplies. He was disappointed you were asleep, but I would not wake you. You will most likely meet him next time. His name is Cid Highwind. He works for the W.R.O. inventing and building all sorts of things. Mostly weapons and vehicles, I believe. I will warn you, he is a very rude, foul-mouthed man, but he is a good man…”

“I’m sure I can handle him,” said Sephiroth confidently as a few of his own rude friends sprang to mind.

“Of that I have no doubt.”

“You said he brought supplies. What exactly did he bring?” Asked the half-angel while he glanced around the room curiously. It wasn’t hard to spot a medium sized, sealed cardboard box and a few plastic white bags located near the door to the room.

Without having to even pause to think about it, Vincent easily listed everything he considered to be supplies. “Clothes, food, water, sex toys…”

If Sephiroth had been drinking or eating anything, he would have surely choked on it. “What now…?”

“The last one was a joke,” spoke Vincent in a deadpanned voice with mirth crinkling at the corners of his eyes. Whatever amusement transpired was soon gone in the blink of an eye once Vincent’s seemingly apathetic demeanor returned. As the half-demon rose from the bed, Sephiroth noticed upon closer inspection that the other man was wearing a slightly different set of fresh, clean clothes in his typical crimson and red coloring. He watched as the older male strode over to the mini fridge and opened the door to retrieve something specific. He procured a small black thermos-like container about the size of a soda can and next handed it over to Sephiroth with some level of urgency. “You should drink this. It is a mix of the required nutrients and proteins that someone of your bearing needs. You are still weak and have not been consuming the right nutrients your entire life. It is not your fault, but we will fix that issue here and now. You can still eat the things you like; however, you will still need this in order for you to be stronger and fully functional. You see…back at W.R.O. headquarters, we have a few people like you. If you’d like…sometime soon, we can set up an appointment for you to meet one or more of them…”

Sephiroth nodded slowly as he stared at the small thermos with some hesitation. He normally didn’t like to eat or drink anything unknown, but he trusted Vincent, and if this is what he wanted him to do, he’d do it. The younger man unscrewed the cap and removed it completely before tilting his head back and quickly downing the contents of whatever this stuff was. It tasted…odd, and unlike anything he’d ever consumed before in his life. It was neither pleasant or unpleasant in taste or texture and had a sort of strange aftertaste to it. When he finished, he screwed the lid back on and handed the thermos back to Vincent’s outstretched hand. As the other man placed it down on the table, Sephiroth realized that he had not even thought to ask Vincent if there were others like him…other celestials. Then again, all of this was a lot to take in at once and most of his questions seemed to be tangled together in his head like an assortment of strings all chaotically knotted up together.

The sound of Vincent’s boots padding softly against the carpet knocked Sephiroth out of his self-induced stupor. He watched curiously as his half-brother picked up the box and strode back towards the bed with it in hand. He then opened it and dumped the contents of the box out onto the bed. A few different articles of dark clothing wrapped neatly in plastic lay in a heap on the mattress. From what Sephiroth could tell, there were several shirts, pairs of pants, underwear, and even socks. When his eyes were finished scanning the items, he looked up at Vincent inquisitively.

“I requested a change of clean, dark clothes for you. You seem to prefer wearing dark colors, so I asked for something dark, casual, and…thin. I tried to be as accurate about your measurements as possible, but I was not certain of specifics, which is why there are a few different sizes...”

“Thank you,” murmured Sephiroth as he picked one up at random. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that each plastic wrapped clothing item had a size listed on it. He searched through each one until he located all of the large sizes and then tore the plastic off of a thin black t-shirt. The silver-haired boy flung the sheets off from his body and rose to stand up to his full height. He wasn’t the least bit ashamed of standing naked while he dressed in front of the other man. In fact, he felt something akin to hot shivers course through his entire being at the prospect of being watched by the silent half-demon. The actual act of being watched by some random voyeur didn’t arouse him; however, since it was Vincent, he couldn’t help feeling a bit thrilled by it.

“I believe it is imperative that you learn how to properly defend yourself in hand-to-hand combat…and with a weapon of your choosing, be it a gun or knife,” stated Vincent as soon as Sephiroth had finished dressing himself.

Sephiroth frowned at that prospect, yet it wasn’t because of the training itself. He had trained his body for years to be as fit and strong as he was now so the actual idea of being trained in defense didn’t deter him in the slightest. “So you believe I will run into one of those things again?”

“I am certain of it. You are… _marked_ now, by me, by Chaos. He unleashed your true self and upon doing so, revealed you to the world. Those like me, like you, and like that demon will be able to sense you if close enough. You were safe enough before because you were protected…by your mother, I suspect. But that protection is gone and now, you are no longer protected by her. Because of this, you must learn to fight, to defend yourself…and you must never be far from my sight, my senses. For this, I am sorry. It would have happened sooner or later; it, without a doubt, would have happened _after_ we…”

“So you are saying that something specific triggers my…angelic self to emerge?”

“Yes, that is what I am saying. At some point in your life, you would have come in contact with one of us and possibly become triggered by something we say or do. The cause differs depending on the person and isn’t always something sexual or violent. Even something as slight as a smell can trigger a reaction. Just a few days ago, when I first came into contact with you, at the dinner table, you started emitting a particular scent. It was very slight, but I could still smell it. That is when I realized what you were becoming…”

“Is that why you suddenly stopped touching me that night?” Asked Sephiroth with a raised eyebrow and a half-smile.

Vincent nodded solemnly at that and even had the courtesy to look a bit on the guilty side.

“Before you touched me then, did you already know what I was?” Inquired Sephiroth with his hands locked behind his back as he edged closer to the older man like a cat slowly stalking its prey.

“I suspected what you were years ago. I didn’t know for certain until just a few days ago,” confirmed the dark-haired man with a curt nod.

“Does that mean others…”

“Even without being triggered into becoming what you truly are, it is likely others could have sensed what you are. It is fortunate for you that not all of us seem to bear such an ability. Some have probably passed right by you without knowing what you really are. It is also probable that some had an inkling, but chose not to approach you. There are some demons, the _intelligent_ ones, that prefer to be discreet since they seem to value their lives. It is easier to hunt when one is camouflaged, after all…”

Sephiroth stood with around just a foot of space in between them. He unclasped his arms from behind his back to cross them against his chest while he appeared deep in thought. It somewhat disturbed him to know that he probably had encountered some demons in his short life without even knowing it. But had those things known what he was? Better yet, were they all senseless, brutal beasts without a shred of morality? Did they all eat, rape, and torture humans and half-breeds like himself? Was it really that easy to go through a lifetime being an immoral monster with no regard for life? He did know there were humans that acted in such a way, too. Well, technically those evil humans could merely be demons in disguise, but he doubted it. The half-angel knew enough of the world to know that some regular human men and women walked through life with dark hearts. He knew that it wasn’t fair or realistic to pin blame of all the evils in the world on demon kind.

“What about my mother? If she’s the one that gave me my celestial blood, then how come she seems so ordinary? How come nothing is preying on her?” 

“That, I do not know. I do admit the W.R.O. doesn’t know too much about the celestials and where they originate from. It is extraordinarily rare to come across a half-angel, but to find a full-blooded one? That’s even rarer still. I have my theories about it, if you’d like to know…” Answered the older man who suddenly looked exceedingly weary.

The jade-eyed boy wasn’t blind; he noticed how tired his half-brother looked and wondered if Vincent had stayed up all night while he slept. It wasn’t until today that he had begun to realize just how tough his lover’s life was and probably has been for many years now. He remembered that Vincent had been separated from their father until he had been Sephiroth’s current age and how at peace he had always seemed to be around Sephiroth’s family…until their, eh, _issues_ happened.  It must have been unbearably tough to suddenly have his sanctuary shattered by something beyond his control. To force himself to stay away for several tortured years of anguish because he had not wanted to hurt the brother he loved in a taboo way. Oh, the stubborn part of Sephiroth still harbored some resentment and pain from the rejection, but in time, he felt that it would surely fade away into nothing since now he understood the other man better. Even though his decision to distance himself from Sephiroth had been mostly selfless, it still had been the wrong choice. Vincent had been unaware of the damage he had caused them both; he had initially believed Sephiroth would move on and forget about him. It was clear to him now that Vincent was a sensitive, tormented soul capable of mistakes just like everyone else. And just like everyone else, he deserved some forgiveness and understanding.

“You look worn out, Vincent. You can tell me more _later_ ,” said Sephiroth as he closed in the distance and embraced his exhausted half-brother. He smiled when he felt those warm arms loosely encircle his waist. The half-angel then looked into tired, crimson eyes and continued, “I will drive us home. For now, I want you to rest…”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

As soon as Sephiroth stepped through the door, his sister had flung herself at him. Her small hands touched his forehead and face, fussing over him like any good mother would. Despite his reassurances that he was fine now, she still forced him into his bed and forced him to lay down. Just before he was dragged into his room, he glanced behind him to catch a glimpse of Vincent smirking at him.

It wasn’t necessary, but there was little else that he could do but feign sleep whenever Aerith quietly poked her head into his room to check on his ‘condition’. He tried his hardest not to feel annoyed by her insistence to baby him at every opportunity that presented itself. It amused him to know that if Zack should ever marry his sister, ( _god help his soul_ ) he would be pampered and fussed over for the rest of his life. Sephiroth had already caught Aerith on several occasions being overly maternal by giving Zack an earful or fretting over a minor injury or something else. It was sweet, but could prove to be overbearing at times. Still, it was better to have someone care too much than to have someone not care at all.

Several long minutes passed in silence until something vibrated in his pocket, which was most likely his phone. He quickly fished his phone out of his pocket and checked his newest notifications. The gunmetal-haired boy smirked when he realized who the sender was.

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: JerkFace**

_What’s it like having two mothers?_

_P.s. JerkFace, really? Is that the best you could come up with? I feel even more special now than before._

10:21 AM

Sephiroth’s smirk widened when he read the first part; however, the second part of the message caused his grin to drop. How had Vincent found out? _Unless_ …

**To: JerkFace**

**From: Sephiroth**

_I don’t know what you’re talking about._

10:25 AM

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: JerkFace**

_Don’t play coy. I saw it in your phone contacts._

10:26 AM

**To: JerkFace**

**From: Sephiroth**

_What were you doing on my phone?_

10: 26 AM

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: JerkFace**

_I misplaced my phone. Had to call it using your phone. Yours was unlocked obviously._

10:27 AM

**To: JerkFace**

**From: Sephiroth**

_JerkFace is my other boyfriend. I don’t think you’d like him. He’s a perverted ass who molests me every chance he gets._

10:28 AM

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: JerkFace**

_I’m your boyfriend now? Do you want me to beat him up for you?_

10:30 AM

**To: JerkFace**

**From: Sephiroth**

_What do you think, idiot? And no, I can handle him._

10:31 AM

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: JerkFace**

_Are you going to change the name?_

10:33 AM

**To: JerkFace**

**From: Sephiroth**

_No, I like it. Deal with it. Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping?_

10:36 AM

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: JerkFace**

_I slept in the car. I’m fine now._

10:37 AM

As soon as he had read Vincent’s most recent text, there sounded a gentle knock on his door. It was a sound he knew well and automatically knew who was standing right outside his door. He locked and stuffed his phone back into his newly acquired black jeans.

“Come in…”

The door opened and Ifalna strode in, her heels clicking against the floor as she approached him.  She looked a bit tired, yet relieved to see him as she slowly sat down on his bedside. Old habits had her reaching over to sweep his fringe out of his eyes. With a slight frown, she commented, “You need a trim…and a _cut_. I wish you would cut your hair short.”

“Not gonna happen, mom,” snorted Sephiroth, pushing her meddling hand away from his hair. He had spent several years growing his hair out and countless time taking excellent care of it. There was no way he was going to cut it now. Call him vain, but he loved his hair and the fact that it was such a rare, unusual color.

His mother sighed deeply as if she had expected such an answer from him. She gave up on fussing with his hair to instead touching his face as if to ensure that it was still there. He knew she secretly loved to drive him crazy by fretting over him as if he were still a little kid.

“Where were you last night?”

Fortunately, the jade-eyed boy managed to somehow not show his trepidation on his face. A part of him wanted to scream the truth, but he knew he couldn’t. Not yet, at least. He would have to improvise something to get her off of his back. Lying to her just seemed to wrong to him, but what other choice did he have?

“I was out with Vincent all night,” answered Sephiroth while he tried not to fidget with the covers. He figured he’d at least start out with the truth and go from there.

Ifalna’s eyes narrowed at that followed by her calm, low voice, “Your sister told me you were out…with _friends_.”

“I was. Vincent was with me, too. We were tired and I felt sick, so we crashed at a friend’s house. I know I didn’t call, but I honestly forgot because we were having a good time…and because I spent a good part of the night puking my guts up from bad food,” lied Sephiroth with a shamefaced smile and then to sooth injury, he quickly added, “I’m sorry…”

“It seems like you and your brother are getting along better lately,” pointed out his mother while she watched him with hawk-like eyes.

Sephiroth nodded at that since it was indeed true and decided to work with that. He inhaled deeply before he explained, “You were right. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. It was just a… _misunderstanding_. That picture you showed me made me think about how we used to be and well, I suggested to him that we go have a talk. So we went to the park to talk and ended up resolving everything there in a couple of hours. Everything felt nice after that, like a huge weight was lifted from our chests and even though it was gross outside, we decided to hang out for a bit. We ended up running into some of my old friends from middle school…and time seemed to fly by. Before we knew it, it was late, and we were both too tired to drive, so we slept over.”

“I see,” sighed Ifalna. A scent wafted into her nose, causing her to sniff the air. Her nose wrinkled and she narrowed her eyes as she stared at her son suspiciously. “ **What** …is that _smell_?”

“Oh, I dunno. Probably the stuff I used to take a shower with. They have some pretty _earthy_ stuff in their house. All natural things that smell kind of weird,” clarified the jade-eyed boy with a shrug. As an afterthought, he asked, “It doesn’t stink, does it?”

“No…it just smells _different_.”

“Sometimes you smell different, too, when you wear that powdery old lady perfume stuff. It doesn’t suit you. You’re not an old lady, mom. At least…not yet.”

Ifalna’s mouth was a thin line as she narrowed her eyes at that, looking ever like a mother about to smack the shit out of her child. The next moment, though, she latched onto him, hugging him tightly while she burst out in loud, amused laughter. Her slender frame shook in nearly unbridled mirth as she clutched at him as if he were her lifeline. Eventually her laughter died down into little chuckles. His mother leaned back, wiping away the water that had collected at the corners of her eyes.

Sephiroth sighed. “My mother is a nerd…”

“I am not a nerd,” protested his mother as she swatted his arm playfully. The smiling woman gingerly rose up until she was standing up to take her leave. She soon sobered up, her green eyes gazing down at him while she caressed the side of his face. A small, gentle smile played on her lips as she spoke, “I just worry about you, honey. I am sorry if I treat you like a kid sometimes. It’s hard to let you go, but look at you now…you’re a handsome, gifted young man and soon enough, you will be _gone_. You will live somewhere else with your own family and we won’t see you as much. It’s unbearably hard being a mother, Sephiroth, but I do not regret the _sacrifices_ I have made to be with your father and to have you and Aerith. Just…know that I love you and always will. Nothing you can ever do will make me stop loving you.”

“Ugh…mom…don’t say that,” grunted Sephiroth, feeling the prick of hot tears welling up in his watering eyes. He coughed and looked away, his face flushed a bright crimson.

“I am happy that you and your brother are getting along now. Your father will be pleased to hear that his sons are bonding, as well. I hope this peace between you two remains and grows into something deeper,” continued his mother, ignoring his obvious embarrassment as she ruffled his hair. He grunted again in displeasure and pushed her offending hand away as he fixed his hair with his other hand.

‘ _If you only knew…_ ’ Sephiroth thought to himself as he watched her leave his room, closing the door gently behind her with a soft click.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

As soon as his mother had left, Sephiroth had quickly sent Vincent a few summarized text messages about the conversation that had just taken place between him and his mother. He sent the information just in case his mother decided to give Vincent the third degree. He knew his mother wouldn’t bother Vincent as long as he was in the guest room; however, as soon as he left it, she would be on him like fire on hay. He wasn’t sure if his mother would question Vincent about last night, but in the off chance that she did, he wanted their story to be straight. If Vincent’s answers varied from his own then she would definitely know that something was up. Because of this, he also supplied the half-demon with some names of middle school friends he had known in case she asked for names. He hadn’t mentioned any names to her and she hadn’t asked him, yet that didn’t mean she wouldn’t ask Vincent. The 18-year-old wasn’t stupid; he could tell that his mother felt that something was amiss. He knew that he would have to tread carefully lest she discover their secret. Such a thing was futile in the end because someday, somehow, everyone would end up finding out. He had no intentions of running and hiding his entire life because of something that felt right to him although others found such a thing as shameful and taboo.

His brother didn’t answer his text, which was just as well. Hopefully it meant that the weary man was fast asleep already. He scoffed when he recalled Vincent’s most recent text claiming he had received enough sleep during the ride home. He’d heard of some people in the world that could survive and function well on a few hours of sleep, but less than an hour’s sleep? There was just no way unless the half-demon was used to taking short naps here and there. Nevertheless, Vincent was indeed part of a race Sephiroth didn’t know much about or understand in the slightest. Because of this, it was probable that he required a different amount of sleep and food intake compared to normal humans. He would have to remember to question the demon hunter about it later.

As he stared up at his ceiling, his thoughts drifted back towards his mother. Guilt stabbed him in the gut while he thought about all the lies that he had told her and the truths that he had omitted. He wanted to tell her everything, well, _mostly_ everything. The half-angel wasn’t a prude, but talking about his sex life with his _mother_ was just downright wrong on too many levels. Ugh. Why was he even thinking about this? He’d just have to swallow his guilt and play along until the time came when he wouldn’t have to anymore. If what his mother said was true about her loving him always, he couldn’t help but wonder if his father felt the same about Vincent. If their dad found out about their relationship, would he really disown Vincent? Or would he just outright verbally and physically attack his oldest son? The thought of it all made Sephiroth cringe since he was aware of Vincent’s feelings towards the Faremis family. He wanted to remain on good terms with his family and he was pretty sure Vincent wanted the same; however, he knew realistically that it would not end up that way. There was a very good chance that the two of them would become estranged from their family.

 

Sephiroth loved his family more than he could ever fully realize as a young adult. Like anyone else, he took his own family for granted and wasn’t as grateful as he should be. He wanted to move on with his life, to travel, and to do things without them breathing down his neck, but that didn’t mean he wanted them cut out of his life completely. As much as he knew he loved them, he also loved Vincent in a different, unconditional way that shook him to his very core. His love for his own brother had been there for years, yet now it was different and deeper than before. Or maybe it had always been there and he had just not fully realized it. Besides, all those years ago, he had recalled enjoying their first kiss and wanting _more_. He had initially reacted to the rejection like a young, spurned lover who had ultimately somehow sealed away his memories.  Perhaps in a misguided way, the angel part of himself had wished to spare him pain, to protect him, so it had harnessed his memories. Or maybe…his inner angel had repressed the memories to protect them from himself lest he dare taint them from anger and resentment. Whatever the reasons, Sephiroth did feel inherently grateful. Because his memories had been veiled, the pain could have been worse and his memories could have been distorted and ruined for all time.

As much as he loved his family and the thought of leaving them forever left him feeling distraught; the very notion of Vincent leaving him behind _again_ both distressed and terrified him. He would go where his lover went and if the stubborn jerk tried to leave him behind, Sephiroth would hunt his sorry ass down until he found him. As nerve-wracking as the prospect of leaving in a few days was to him, the silver-haired young man still fully intended to follow Vincent to the ends of the Earth. 

Vincent had left the decision utterly up to him regarding whether or not he would reveal the truth behind their less than innocent relationship. The mere notion of hiding Vincent away like a dirty little secret repulsed him completely. He was not ashamed of their newfound bond nor did he ever intend to hide it. If people, including his family, couldn’t accept it, couldn’t support his choice to be with Vincent, then kindly fuck them all. It sounded harsh and a bit heartless, but it was how he truly felt. As much as he loved his parents, his sister…he loved Vincent _more_.

Even now, barely parted for a few hours, he craved the presence of the older man. He was tempted to sneak out of his room and into Vincent’s to crawl into his bed and curl up against him.

Sephiroth sighed loudly as he rolled onto his side to watch his fish gliding lazily through the water. He sat up suddenly when he noticed one of the three fantails was missing. Jumping out of the bed, he rushed over and glanced around until he spotted it floating stiffly at the surface of the water near the filter, practically hidden from view. It was dead, he knew. He just didn’t understand _why_ it had died since the day before, it had appeared healthy and had behaved as it normally did. 

Heaving another heavy sigh, he opened the door to the stand and fetched a bowl and net. Opening the lid to the tank, he scooped up water in the bowl and the deceased fish with the net. It was slimy and pallid as he stared at it cossetted by the confines of the blue net. For a moment, the dead fish reminded him of himself and the net, his family. He quickly shook such a thought away as he gingerly placed the lifeless fish in the bowl of water. The adolescent male slowly lowered the bowl down on his desk before he plopped back down on his bed again. He would bury the fish later, but for now, he would lay around brooding over a rocky, uncertain future.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Sometime in the afternoon, after Sephiroth become fed up with torturing his mind and biting what was left of his fingernails, he had gone outside to bury the fish. He knew some people opted for the toilet funeral, but that was just plain disrespectful and disgusting in his opinion. It was better for the earth and more respectful to bury the fish in soil. Of course, not everyone had access to a backyard, but still, many people seemed to lack respect for any life that wasn’t human. Aerith had always insisted that all life was sacred, regardless of how small or short such a life was. To some extent, he had agreed with her on that basis. After that incident with that vile demon, he had arrived at the conclusion that while many lives, animals included, were sacred, some lives, like that demon’s, were downright worthless.

 After he had finished patting the earth with a small gardening spade, he straightened up and placed it back in the pot near the garden. When he turned around, he nearly jumped out of his skin when he noticed Angeal standing there with his hands in his pockets. His friend had the decency to look apologetic once he realized he had startled Sephiroth.

 “Hey,” greeted the dark-haired teenager as he nudged aside a rock with the toe of his shoe.

 "Hey,” echoed Sephiroth, frozen on the spot.

“Look, I’m sorry I didn’t call or text you first before coming over, but Zack said you were home today…and I know you. You’ve been brooding in your room all day, and probably most of this week. You can say you’re okay, but I can tell you’re not and I want to make this right. I know I am partially to blame for this.”

Sephiroth crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his weight to his left foot. He neither confirmed nor denied Angeal’s words as he stared expectantly at his big friend. He was curious to hear what he had to say, plus…Genesis wasn’t around, for once. That was odd in itself and he wanted to know why that was.

The taller male stepped closer until there was a comfortable few feet of distance between them. He ran one hand through his pitch black hair, which was a habit of his he did whenever he wasn’t sure how to start something or when he attempted to sort out his thoughts.

“You were right, Seph. Not about everything…but you were right about me always putting Genesis before you. I didn’t realize I was doing that until just a few weeks ago. I tried to deny it at first. I did my best to understand your side of things, which wasn’t exactly easy…since you are a complicated person. But I think I get it now. You’re tired of feeling like the third wheel, like the spare. Like you don’t matter to me, to Genesis. You do. You do matter to me, to us both. Genesis…is infatuated with you mostly because he envies you, wants to be you. I think he figures if he can’t become you, then he should be _with_ you. In time, his feelings will fade and he’ll realize he’s been a fool, much like I have,” began Angeal with a sad sort of smile that seemed to convey his regret. He combed his fingers through his hair and sighed deeply again.

Despite the obvious heartfelt apology, Sephiroth stubbornly refused to allow his friend off the hook so easily. Not until he completely understood the other man’s point. “So you are here to apologize for what, being a neglectful jerk? Where is Genesis? I’m surprised he’s not here.”

“I told him to leave you alone until you are ready to see him again. He wasn’t happy about it, and is furious at me, but I don’t care. He’s been my friend ever since I can remember, but that shouldn’t give him precedence over my friendship with you. He is not more important than you and I apologize if it feels that way to you. It was my fault for trying to keep the peace, for tolerating his petty ways. In doing so, I alienated you and pushed you away. It was not my intention to hurt you, to ruin what we had between us. Genesis is just my friend, my brother…yet you are so much more to me than that. I deeply regret allowing him to come between us. I regret hiding what you and I had just to spare his feelings. It was wrong of me; I know that now. For all that, I am truly sorry. I am here to make amends, if I can, and…”

“What are you trying to say exactly?” Slowly asked Sephiroth as he watched the taller man closely. He could feel there was something else lurking behind Angeal’s words.

“I love you, always have, and if you’re willing to try again, I want to be with you again. No more secrecy, no more hiding. I don’t care who knows and if anyone has a problem with it, then that is their problem,” revealed Angeal as he moved closer to the slighter, unmoving male. His larger hand reached out to caress the side of Sephiroth’s pale, androgynous face. Green eyes gawked up at him with parted, sensual lips that didn’t budge. Every reservation he had had left him as he leaned over and pressed his lips to his silver-haired friend’s. He didn’t have time to process the fact that the shorter, stiff male wasn’t returning his kiss when he heard a cough alerting him of another’s presence. Angeal pulled away from the kiss to look behind Sephiroth to see a seething, yet cold-looking man standing on the steps of the porch. His footsteps were slow and deliberate while he walked down the porch steps until he came to stand beside Sephiroth.

“Who…are you?” Asked Angeal as he narrowed his blue eyes. He had never seen this strange man before in his life and suddenly wondered why he was here. He didn’t show it, but this sour looking man intimidated him quite a bit. There was something dangerous about him that Angeal just didn’t trust. Not to mention the guy looked like he was a vampire or something…

“I am Sephiroth’s… _brother_ ,” answered Vincent in a clipped, dour tone. Something about the way he had reluctantly said brother caused the half-angel to believe he had wanted to say something else. Pinpricks of dread spread throughout his body as he wondered exactly how long Vincent had been standing there. He could feel the older man’s anger simmering underneath his cool façade and couldn’t help wondering if he was mad at him, Angeal, or the both of them.

Both realization and relief dawned on Angeal’s face and he laughed. “Oh, right. _Vincent_. Cloud and Zack mentioned you were visiting for a week. I forgot that Seph even had a brother…”

“This is my friend Angeal,” quickly introduced Sephiroth before he turned his back on said man and whispered into Vincent’s ear, “ _I will get rid of him. Just…wait inside, please. It won’t take long_.”

Vincent appeared reluctant to leave his side, but after a few lingering moments, he nodded his consent before he reluctantly retreated back inside of the house.

“ _Brrr_. That man is cold. I can see why you dislike him,” commented Angeal as soon as the red-eyed man had disappeared from view.

Sephiroth felt his teeth grind together in an effort to not snarl defensively at his ex-boyfriend. Instead, he exhaled deeply and corrected, “He is more than he appears. You would do well not to judge someone you do not even know. He’s…complicated, but he’s a good man. And I don’t dislike him. Rather the opposite, actually. I would prefer if you didn’t insult him, Angeal.”

The taller teen shook his head and smiled wryly as he held his hands up in deference. “Down, boy. I didn’t mean anything by it.”

The silver-haired youth nodded solemnly, easily accepting that since unlike Sephiroth, Angeal was a kinder man and didn’t have a nasty temper. He sighed for what felt like the thousandth time that day as he regarded the taller boy with resolute, calm jade eyes. “I think…you should know that there’s someone else. Someone I love, I mean. I thank you for taking the time to talk to me, to make amends, but it’s too late for that now. We broke it off for a reason…and it was the right thing to do, so don’t regret it. I love you, too, ‘Geal…just not in the way you would like. You’re my friend, but if that’s not enough for you, I will understand if you want to walk away…”

Angeal laughed mirthlessly at that before he grabbed Sephiroth in a tight bear hug. “Hey…I’m not walking away anytime soon. You’re going to have to do more than that to shake me off from you. Things…may not be the same as they were before when we were younger, but I’d like to think we can still remain good friends, or even become better friends in the future.”

Sephiroth smiled as he returned the embrace. “I’d like that…”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

When Sephiroth opened the front door, he had not expected Vincent to be standing so close that the door would have surely hit him had he been standing any closer to it. As he turned to close the door, he half-expected to be grabbed and shoved against a wall, but nothing came. He leaned back against the door and arched a silver eyebrow at his older brother’s sullen demeanor. Something about it reminded him of a child whose candy had just been taken away. He couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped his lips at that look. Shaking his head, he said, “Please tell me you’re not jealous…”

“You were kissing him,” stated Vincent as if this were a cold, hard fact.

The green-eyed boy rolled his eyes before he corrected, “No, he kissed me.”

“What is the difference?”

“Come here and I will show you,” purred Sephiroth as he motioned slowly with his index finger for Vincent to approach him. As soon as the half-demon was within inches of him, the younger brother grabbed him by the back of the neck and pulled him in for a deep, sweet kiss. He moaned when he was pressed fully against the door while a hand squeezed his ass and the other wound itself in long, silver locks. Hips locked together rolled in tandem as lips inhaled panting, heated breaths. Sephiroth turned his face away, gasping lightly while a mouth sucked and lapped at his long neck as if it were the most succulent thing in creation. His hands gripped and clawed at Vincent’s shoulder and backside, locking the other against him as their groins ground hard against one another. He turned his face back towards the older man and licked the shell of his ear with the tip of his tongue before he whispered, “ _Do you see the difference now?”_

 

_~*~*~*~*~*~_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At first, when I brainstormed this story months ago, I was going to make Vincent a college professor, but I think I like him being a demon hunter better. Gives me an excuse to have him use his guns in this story. Plus Vampire Hunter D and Batman are bad ass and Vincent kind of reminds me of them. Vin also reminds me of Spawn, too. I guess that makes Sephiroth the Joker? ;) Hojo can be that gross demon clown thing from Spawn. 
> 
> While writing this chapter, an idea of what to do with Tseng popped into my head. Originally I had not intended to include him in this story at all, but I think I will utilize him after all. 
> 
> Heads up, Original Character next chapter. There was no FF7 character suitable for the part I wanted, so I made my own character. As I recall, Let Him In had an original character and the world still continued on. xD I actually like OC’s if they’re written well and do not distract too much from the story. 
> 
> The fish thing happened to me several weeks ago, by the way. And ugh…this chapter ran much longer than I planned, which is why I wasn’t able to update the day I intended. -,- Ah well. I hope you all enjoyed!


	7. The Burning of Souls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some brotherly smut here and there.

It took no small amount of self-control for Vincent to break away from the temptation that was his half-brother. The baser part of himself had been just about to shed the younger male’s clothes, yet rationality had kicked in just in time to force himself to step away before he defiled the half-angel against the front door of the house. He knew that while Ifalna was out doing errands and their father was at work, Aerith was still in the house somewhere. Thankfully she had not happened upon them making out like horny, desperate teenagers. It was different to know someone was going on between them, but to actually _see_ it…that might prove to be devastating to her despite her accepting ways.

The half-demon smiled lightly at the loud protest and seething glare he received from the other man. He decided to take some pity on the disappointed, pissed off boy. “We wouldn’t want our sister to discover us like this, hm?”

Sephiroth’s eyes softened in realization and he laughed shakily as he leaned heavily against the door. He was incredibly thankful that his brother had more control than he did. “You’re right…”

“I took the liberty to call the W.R.O. today. Someone by the name of Njóla Diallo is flying in today to see you, but the appointment is tomorrow morning. She’s a half-angel like you…” Said Vincent while he fixed his brother’s disheveled hair and smoothed out the wrinkles in his clothes so that he looked less like a wreck.

This perked up Sephiroth’s interest, so he pushed aside the other man’s fussing hands. In some ways, Vincent was just as bad as his mother and sister when it came to fretting over him. “Flying in from where?”

“I do not know. They make it a point to be secretive about most things, especially the addresses of half-angels like you. The only thing I know for certain is that she’s flying in from another country…probably at least 8 or more hours away. You do not have to meet her if you don’t want to, but I think you should at least try one meeting. If you two connect, she may stay for an extended period of time to help mentor you,” answered the half-demon as he smoothed out his own clothes, shaking his head as he pulled off a long silver hair that clung stubbornly to his attire.

“No, I’ll meet her,” spoke Sephiroth as he watched the other male with some mild amusement. A thought suddenly struck him, so he asked, “Are you coming with me?”

“Yes…but I will not be there during your meeting,” revealed the half-demon, his usual poker face perfectly put back in place.

Sephiroth frowned. “Why not?”

“You’re a big boy now. You don’t need me there…”

“Tell me the _real_ reason,” snorted the half-angel with his arms crossed as he stared unblinkingly at the older man.

Vincent sighed, “Your kind…tend to feel uncomfortable around my kind…and for good reason, too. I am not offended by it.”

“I see…well, if she does decide to mentor me, she’s going to have to tough it out and accept you being there when I need you. If she doesn’t like it, then I can always find someone else to replace her.”

“And if no one else is willing to teach you?”

Sephiroth stared at the raven-haired man as if he should already know the answer to that. “I will get by, somehow. I have you, after all. If people won’t accept you…then I won’t accept them. Simple as that.”

“But it is not simple…it is never easy. Are you really so willing to be ostracized from family, friends, and other people? You may feel this is what you want…but end up regretting it in the end…”

“You should have thought of that _before_ you came back for me,” pointed out the somewhat annoyed green-eyed boy. To him it felt as if the older man was trying to find reasons to break this off, whatever this was between them. He wasn’t stupid; the silver-haired youth was well aware that not all relationships lasted. Sometimes they fell apart after years of neglect or became tainted by selfish actions or poisonous words. To him, there was more to their relationship than lust and infatuation. It felt deeper and more profound to him to such an extent it made him want to cry, to scream. There was a connection here, something that felt unshakable and consumed him to such a degree he felt more certain about this than anything else in his entire short life. After all, who wanted to be bound to their own brother, albeit half-brother, in such a forbidden way? Why would anyone choose to feel this way? He sure as hell didn’t choose to harbor such feelings of lust and love for this man, but he had chosen to pursue them, to act on them.

Vincent nodded slowly as he agreed, “You’re absolutely right. I did think about such things, and continue to do so even though you have me ruined for anyone else. Not that that’s your fault. It isn’t. I am not trying to weasel out of this, or to make you change your mind. I just don’t want you regretting anything or assigning blame. Some things are my fault, I know, but…other things do not have to be. I don’t want you to get hurt even though…that really is inevitable in the long run, unfortunately…”

“No shit, Sherlock. I may be younger than you, but I’m not stupid or foolish. I know I have much to learn, but so do you. I say we just learn together and have each other’s backs. How does that sound? And by the way, if you ever try to run off on me, I will **hunt** your sorry ass down and make you _regret_ it like nothing before…”

The crimson-eyed man offered him a genuine smile. “Sounds perfect.”

“Vincent?”

“Hm?”

“I feel like taking a nap. Lie down with me?”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea…” said the older brother with half-hearted hesitation even though he looked like the idea appealed to him.

Sephiroth made a grab for his right hand and tugged him along, forcing the other man to follow him to Vincent’s room as he typed up a quick text to Aerith using his free hand. He jerked Vincent inside the guest room and then locked the door behind them. In a matter of minutes, he had them both stripped down to their underwear. He forced the older man to step backwards towards the bed until the back of his knees bumped the mattress. Smirking, he shoved Vincent down flat on his back and didn’t give him any time to recover before he climbed on top of him. The half-angel wound his arms possessively around the other male and adjusts his position half on top of Vincent until he was comfortable. Even though he didn’t feel particularly cold, he still groped for a nearby blanket that they were not currently lying on, and threw it over the both of them.

Vincent remained passive and silent as he allowed the other to manhandle him as he saw fit. When the younger male is finished maneuvering and shifting around, the half-demon then wound his right arm around that hard, yet soft-skinned body. The fingers of his left hand threaded slowly, delicately through long, silver strands until they settled on the skull. His fingertips massaged his scalp languidly, yet deeply until the younger male is a melted, pliant puddle of lax flesh.

“If we can’t do what I really want right now, then this is the next best thing,” murmured the content, already half-asleep adolescent as he laid draped over his older brother. Even in his relaxed, lulled state, he was still aware of his hardness pressed into Vincent’s hip that was mirrored by the stiff organ his own leg now trapped underneath. The simmering arousal was a low burn in the pit of his belly that he almost easily ignored in favor for lying against one another like big cats in the wild. He felt utterly boneless and comfortable snuggled against the other man for what was probably the second time in his life. The silver-haired boy could easily imagine doing this every day for the rest of their lives, but with an unlocked door, no underwear, and no fear of being caught by overprotective family members.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“Your mother is home,” alerted Vincent as he lazily ran fingers over the expanse of Sephiroth’s smooth, silky skin.

The half-angel buried his face in the older man’s chest and did not move another muscle even though his bladder felt close to bursting. He was indescribably comfortable, feeling too lazy to get up and face the world just yet. “ _Mhm_ …”

“You should spend some time with your mother and your sister,” urged the dark-haired man as he lightly slapped him on the ass. He had omitted mentioning their father because the man was swamped with an overload of work and couldn’t make much time for his family as of late.

“Mmm…”

If there weren’t things to do, and appearances to keep up, the raven-haired man would have allowed his brother to lounge on him all afternoon and night. It would be dark soon enough and he could smell Ifalna cooking something, which meant she would expect both boys to attend dinner soon. Their father would also be home soon and even though work had him stressed and worn out, he still managed to sit down to dinner with his family. Vincent decided to try a new tactic to get the indolent boy up. “If you get up now…then tomorrow _after_ the appointment…”

“Trying to _bribe_ me?” Mumbled Sephiroth as he peeked one eye open to look at the male who continued to idly stroke his hair.

Vincent tugged the younger man’s hair lightly as he corrected, “More like, trying to ask you out on a date…”

“I would, but I already have something planned with Angeal, you know,” joked the half-angel with a grin that stretched out at the exasperated look on his older lover’s face.

In a flurry of movement, the slightly shorter man had Sephiroth pinned down on his back with his arms crossed over his head held in place by his gloved left hand. His dark hair falls forward like a curtain around his face when he leaned over, his face mere inches away from the angel’s. His voice is low and gravely as he growled, “Very funny, brat. Just know I am not above tying you to a bed face down, ass up…spanking you raw until you lose your voice from screaming…”

Sephiroth shivered underneath him, but it was far from fear. He didn’t even bother to struggle since he was effectively pinned down by a body weighing close to his own weight and packing inhuman strength. In the back of his head, he made a mental note to ask Vincent later how the slighter male had gotten so strong. The half-demon’s body was lean, yet generously filled with strong, wiry muscles that put Sephiroth’s own to shame. Despite his age, Sephiroth was rather filled up, but not at his utmost potential yet. In a couple more years, he’d fill out completely, but probably wouldn’t get any taller. He didn’t mind or care if he was bigger than Vincent, or smaller just as long as their sizes weren’t off by too much. The younger man was more than glad that the older man was just about his height since it made kissing and screwing a lot easier and less awkward for them both.

“Oh yeah? Well, just know that I’m not beneath taking a good punishment from you. Makes me feel tempted to act up now. Was that your intention?” Asked a smirking Sephiroth while he gazed up at the older man with pupils that steadily enlarged.

Vincent narrowed his eyes ever so slightly at the grinning adolescent male. A sudden thought occurred to him, causing a slow, wicked smile to spread across pale lips. “No, no…that wouldn’t be punishment. That would be for my pleasure. Punishment…for you…would be me depriving you of my touch, or even my presence. How does that sound to you? Remember that whenever you feel the urge to act out…”

Sephiroth snorted, “You’re bluffing…”

“Am I?”

“Yes, you are. You’re just as touch starved as I am, if not more. You would be punishing us both…”

The half-demon rested his forehead against the half-angel’s, his crimson eyes gazing calmly into excited green ones. “Precisely. Just know that your punishment is my punishment. You will never suffer alone ever again…”

“Ugh…I hate when you say shit like that,” grumbled the 18-year-old male and despite himself, he tried to kiss Vincent, but he evaded it by leaning back away from him. The older man now straddled the younger man without releasing his trapped arms. An involuntarily whine of disappointment escaped the youth’s throat, which caused him to flush a deep scarlet from embarrassment.

“Now, _boy_ , I am going to get up and get dressed. As much as I enjoy having you quiver underneath me, we must stop this now before it gets out of hand. I think…it will be better if we do not touch each other in the house. I find it difficult to control myself around you as it is without you tempting me. It is only a few more days, so hang on, Sephiroth….”

“Yes…”

“Yes what?”

“I will go out with you on that date tomorrow,” answered the silver-haired youth, now tranquil as he laid passively beneath his half-brother like an offering. “…but you must first promise to be a perfect gentleman.”

Vincent chuckled as he bent over and kissed his soul mate’s lips in a chaste, unhurried kiss. “I will make no such promise. After all, when I took you to the park for that… _chat_ , I had every intention of being a perfect gentleman…yet somehow, I still ended up defiling you at that inn. So you see, boy, being a gentleman only gets me in trouble…”

The half-angel shivered at his words, not missing the fact that the older man seemed quite taken to calling him _boy_. Normally such an endearment would have annoyed him, but he strangely liked hearing it spill out from Vincent’s lips. That thought tempted him to test the waters, so while he closely watched the older man, he said, “Whatever you say… _Daddy_ …”

Crimson eyes widened slightly, pupils dilated more than before as his breath caught in his throat. He stiffly dismounted from the younger man so that his feet touched the ground. He then groaned, “I was wrong…being a gentleman doesn’t get me in trouble. It’s _you_.” With that said, he then released the youth’s wrists in favor of harvesting his forgotten clothes from the ground. He sighed after retrieving his shirt when he had noticed that most of the buttons were missing. He shot Sephiroth an accusing glare as he sighed, “I really wish you wouldn’t keep destroying all my clothes. I didn’t bring that many to begin with…”

The silver-haired angel shrugged nonchalantly as he rose to a sitting position. As he smoothed out his tousled mane, he muttered, “Just have your friend Sydney bring you some…”

“ _Cid_ ,” the older brother tersely corrected him though there wasn’t any real heat packed behind it. It was obvious to them both that Vincent was just sexually frustrated and Sephiroth himself sympathized since he was in a similar state. Still, it proved fun to poke at the grouchy man especially since his brother had never dared raise a hand on him, even if he deserved it.

“Yeah, whatever,” snorted Sephiroth, rolling his eyes. A smirk tugged at the corners of his lips while he watched as the other male stalked over to the closet to retrieve a new shirt.

“I will leave the room first, since that will be less suspicious. You will wait a few minutes, and then follow,” instructed Vincent as he began buttoning up his fresh shirt.

“Mhm…”

As the dark-haired man dressed, the adolescent watched with rapt interest until nearly every inch of the other male’s body was covered by cumbersome cloth. He would rectify that later when it was time for bed and they were alone again. The jade-eyed boy had no intention of keeping his distance no matter what his brother said. That grating, surprisingly needy part of himself craved proximity more than anything else and he’d get it even if he had to sneak in or pick the lock. He’d get his way despite any protests since he knew Vincent could deny him nothing. Yeah, he’d easily admit to being a stubborn brat and yeah, he’d been raised a bit spoiled; however, he was far from rotten and still had a good head on his shoulders.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“Did you know that your sons are finally getting along again?” Broached Ifalna after they had all seated themselves at the dining table for dinner. She ignored the shocked glare pitched her way by her cantankerous son.

Gast glanced up from his meal to scrutinize his sons despite the exhaustion that clearly lined his face. True to his wife’s word, both boys sat passively beside one another without any foul words or looks.  He also noticed that they had chosen to sit next to one another even though there was an empty seat next to Aerith. He smiled gently as he felt relief flood his weary being, suddenly feeling loads lighter and less stressed. He sighed, “Is that so? Well, I am glad. I was beginning to look into buying a muzzle for Sephiroth…”

“Very funny, dad,” growled the green-eyed boy as he stabbed at his food with disinterest while he tried ignoring the knowing look Aerith was sending his way from across the table.

Vincent smiled faintly as he winked at Sephiroth and commented, “I think a _gag_ would be better suited for him…”

Aerith and Ifalna giggled together, probably imagining him gagged and not being able to threaten or insult anyone. Gast didn’t join in their laughter, but his smile did widen exponentially.

Sephiroth’s eyes narrowed at the double meaning of his brother’s insinuating, playful words since apparently he was loud in the sack. Well, two could play at that game. He’d wipe that smile off of his half-brother’s face quickly enough. Besides, he still owed him payback for the first night here at this table. His jade-colored eyes glinted evilly as he inconspicuously slid his left hand under the table over the older sibling’s thigh.  Out of the corner of his eye, he watched his brother pause for a split second while his muscles tensed under the half-angel’s touch. The crimson-eyed male resumed eating as if there wasn’t a hand trailing up his thigh at a snail’s pace. He didn’t even glance Sephiroth’s way when he felt that hand wander between his legs to drag up his inner thigh until his questing hand met an already half-erect dick. Vincent had to cough and then clench his jaw to avoid groaning at the friction of the wicked hand that stroked him through the layers of his clothing. The mounting urge to grab the brat and throw him against the table and fuck him hard was all too tempting despite the unwanted audience. If he didn’t stop Sephiroth now, then he’d probably end up coming in his pants and that was not at all desirable, either.

As the half-demon reached over as if to grab a basket of breadsticks, he ‘accidentally’ knocked over Sephiroth’s ice water into the boy’s lap. The angel jerked in his chair from shock and nearly tumbled out of said chair from the unpleasant occurrence. “Oh…I am sorry. Let me clean that up…”

Before Sephiroth could think to protest, Vincent had grabbed some nearby napkins and scooted closer to ‘help’ him. He used one hand to make it appear as if he were truly dabbing at the boy’s pants with the napkin while he was actually using his other hand to grip the boy firmly in hand.

“ _I hate you_ ,” hissed the silver-haired boy, slapping the older man’s hands away from his lap. He rose up quickly and stiffly left the room presumably to change into pants that weren’t soaked.

When ten minutes had passed and Sephiroth still had not returned, Vincent politely excused himself to check up on his wayward, sexually frustrated brother.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“ _Such a fucking brat_ …” Vincent hissed into Sephiroth’s ear while he pistoned mercilessly into him at a rough, quick pace. He had the younger male bent in the running shower with his hands braced against the shower wall and legs spread apart while he was mercilessly fucked in the rather roomy stand in shower. A hand gripped one hip while the other clamped over the angel’s mouth to muffle his loud cries and moans. The sound of the vent and of multiple, powerful shower heads of water pounding down on their thrusting bodies at various directions was loud enough to distort the sound of slapping flesh almost completely. Anyone that walked by would be none the wiser to what was really happening in the bathroom.

Sephiroth bit, licked, and sucked at the hand secured over his mouth while he eagerly shoved back against the cock that threatened to rend him in two. Due to the fast, nearly violent pace, he already felt his orgasm fast approaching him and if his brother’s erratic, frenzied movements were anything to judge by, then he figured Vincent was close, too. They weren’t trying to last long or draw it out since there wasn’t much time and they both desperately needed a quick release.

What they had done in the inn was more akin to making love while this, this was outright fucking like animals. Sephiroth didn’t mind at all and found that he greatly enjoyed both ways whether it was slow and gentle or hard and fast.

It wasn’t long before Sephiroth screamed into Vincent’s hand, sound muffled as he came with his hands clawing at the wall in white-hot, electric bliss. It was only a few more jerky plunges into the younger man’s spasming, clenching passage that sent the raven-haired brother over the edge with a stifled grunt.

While Sephiroth panted, slowly coming down from his post-coital high, Vincent removed his hand from the other male’s mouth. He gingerly lathered the boy with body wash and cleaned every inch of him as he kissed and bit at his brother’s long, yet strong succulent neck. The wine-colored eyed man smiled against the younger man’s neck when he had leaned back against Vincent, sighing in contentment.

“You do not listen very well,” chided Vincent after he had finished his thorough cleaning of every part of the satisfied youth.

Sephiroth tsked at that as he turned around to face the other man. He lathered his hands with body wash and ran them over the half-demon’s well defined chest and abdominals as he retorted, “Oh, but I do listen…just not to foolishness.”

A deep, sensual kiss was pressed to Vincent’s mouth to distract him from speaking while he returned the favor of washing the older man’s hair and body. When he was finished, he pulled away from his complacent brother to shut the water off. He then slid the stall door open and stepped out onto the plush black rug. Grabbing a few towels, he handed two over to the silent man before he briskly toweled his own hair and body off with a towel. Wrapping a towel around his narrow waist, he stood in front of the fogged mirror to comb out his long, damp hair. His hand reached out to wipe away at the mirror so that he could see himself better while he made quick, yet careful work of combing out all the pesky tangles. He glanced out of the corner of his eyes at the older man who appeared to be brooding as he dried himself off.

With a leering grin, Sephiroth taunted, “What’s the matter, Vincent? Did your dick fall off while you were fucking me?”

“Get dressed, go say goodnight to everyone and then get your ass in my bed,” growled Vincent after he had towel dried his dark hair. Grabbing the boy by the chin, he forced a deep kiss on lips that eagerly opened for him and then he swatted the half-angel on his towel-covered ass. He smirked in gratification when he noticed the slight limp that the boy tried to hide as he left the bathroom.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

The next morning, right as the sun was steadily rising, Vincent was awoken by a pleasant, hot sensation that wrenched out a low groan from him. As he blinked open his eyes, he caught sight of the younger male between his legs with his head bobbing as he sucked and licked at Vincent’s engorged cock while his skillful hands kneaded and stroked his testicles. The half-demon sighed, propped up on his elbows as he watched the eager youth pleasure him. He weaved his right hand into long, silken strands and just rested it there without any intention of controlling the other man. Sephiroth was exceedingly good at it, even too good for an inexperienced natural, which told him that the boy had real hands on experience doing this. A surge of jealousy sparked in him, which he quickly forced away since it was irrational, and besides…Sephiroth was **his** now. No one else would know the angel in _this_ way.

The moment devious green eyes connected with his, he was done for and came with a low groan. His fingers tightened in luxurious hair to the point of pain, but Sephiroth didn’t seem to mind as he swallowed as much as he could. Whatever he missed, he lapped up with his tongue while his hands pawed at long pale thighs. The half-angel yelped in surprise when he was forcibly seized and shoved face first in the bed. His loud moan was muffled by the pillow when he felt something wet and cold, most likely lotion, prodding at his somewhat sore orifice. Whatever it was, it helped ease each finger that worked diligently inside him, stretching him carefully before said fingers began thrusting slowly into his body. He jerked when he felt a slick, rough hand take his twitching manhood in hand, jerking him in time to each thrust in his double stimulated body. Sephiroth’s hands clawed and twisted the sheets in his hands as he synchronized his body to push back against the invading digits and thrust against the older man’s hand. When he felt those fingers crook and rub against his prostate, he thrashed against the mattress, and had the hindsight to scream into the pillow instead of turning his face away like he was tempted to. Both hands redoubled their efforts to driving him into sexual insanity as lips kissed and sucked at the flesh of his back. It wasn’t long before the delirious boy felt a familiar, yet very welcome feeling approaching hastily. When his back began to bow from the impending orgasm, he was flipped onto his back like a ragdoll. At the same time, a hot mouth covered his inflamed erection as a hand clamped over his mouth to muffle his loud cries. The moment that searing, wet heat clamped down over his dick, his back bowed as he erupted, biting into the other man’s hand hard enough to break skin. He felt blood leaking into his mouth and despite his need to breath and calm down, he lapped at the wound, cleaning the hand of every single dribbling drop of blood. The act of actually licking up blood was something he had never done before or even had ever desired to take part in. Despite this, he found he quite enjoyed the taste of his half-brother’s exotic blood. Exotic because he knew how his own blood tasted and Vincent’s was… _different_.

“I am definitely investing in a few gags for you,” sighed Vincent while he gently extracted his hand from the boy’s nurturing mouth. The blood flow had been staunched and the superficial wound was already healing quickly.

“Whoever did that to you…is a fucking cunt and I hope he or she is suffering right now, or dead,” darkly growled Sephiroth when he had noticed that the glove that usually covered Vincent’s left arm was off. It was not a pretty sight to behold and now Sephiroth understood why the other man always had it covered. It was not pretty by any means and made his heart clench in his chest at the obvious agony of the old, healed wounds. It was such a painful reminder and had it been Sephiroth, he probably would have been hesitant to reveal it to anyone, too. Still, the heavily scarred arm, looking as if it had been horrendously burned by acid, was a part of Vincent and he loved it regardless. To prove this, he gently took his brother’s left arm in both of his hands and lovingly kissed as much of the skin as he could.

Vincent sighed and visibly relaxed at this despite the ever present embarrassment his irreversible scars always caused him. Not to mention the horrible, traumatic memories that assaulted him whenever he looked at himself. Sighing again, he gingerly pulled his arm away to cup Sephiroth’s face in both hands. He stared at him for a long moment as if memorizing every feature before he leaned forward to kiss him chastely on the lips. He rested his forehead against the boy’s forehead and whispered, “ _You’re an angel_ …”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

At breakfast, after roughly thirty minutes of listening to Aerith chattering about random things, Sephiroth had managed to steal away outside with Vincent in tow. He had succeeded only because he had claimed that they were going out to find Aerith a birthday present even though her birthday wasn’t until the middle of the next month. He suspected she hadn’t bought his story, but she let him off anyway with that motherly, knowing look of her’s. To be perfectly honest, though, it wasn’t a complete lie. He did intend to get her something today since the future was so uncertain and there was no telling when he’d get to spoil her again.

The car ride to Wall Market, which was basically uptown Midgar, took nearly two hours. The ride was spent mostly in comfortable silence with the radio lightly playing music that wasn’t obnoxious to either one of them. For most of the duration of the ride, Vincent kept his right hand lightly anchored to the top of his half-brother’s thigh as he drove. Every now and then he squeezed that muscled thigh to illicit a response from the adolescent who kept dozing off in the passenger seat.

Wall Market was the bustling, more modern part of the city that boomed with countless shops, tourist sights, restaurants, and other types of businesses. Anything and pretty much everything was located somewhere in Wall Market if you knew just where to look. Such a place could be disorientating and easily befuddling to those used to the countryside or even to humbler, smaller towns. It was a place Sephiroth had been to more than a handful of times because of a field trip or some specific shopping trip initiated by his mother or sister. He knew it well enough to avoid getting lost or wandering into the bad parts of Wall Market.

“So…where did she say to meet her?” Mumbled Sephiroth sleepily when he had awoken from a short nap. He rubbed his eyes before he peered out the window at the tall buildings and skyscrapers that flanked them on both sides.

“On 7th Avenue,” answered Vincent as he turned left into the next street.

Sephiroth combed his brain for more information since that street sounded familiar to him. When he couldn’t remember where that was, he sighed and gave up. It was most likely a place he had probably merely glimpsed at or had only visited once. No use torturing his brain since they were sure to arrive there shortly anyway.

Ten minutes later, the demon hunter turned right at the next light and Sephiroth noticed the displayed green sign that read 7th Avenue. Glancing around, he now remembered why this place was familiar to him. It was the fancier side of Wall Market; full of doctor, dentist, and lawyer offices that usually looked like nice houses instead of the typical business buildings attached to one another. Sephiroth had been forced to come here once with his parents to meet a lawyer and to discuss the best course of action due to a particular… _incident_ that he wasn’t keen on mentioning again. It had been stupid on the other person’s part and the case had been dropped nearly as quickly as it had been brought to their attention. 

“You have your cell phone on you, yes?” Asked Vincent as he slowed the car to a stop in front of a classy looking sage-colored building that looked more like a large, residential house than anything else. There were trees all around the house like tall, silent guardians and flowers tastefully adjoining the driveway.

“Yeah, it’s on and fully charged, why?”

“I…have to go somewhere for a bit, so I am dropping you off now. I don’t know how long either of our appointments will be. Should you be done before I am, feel free to hail a cab and go shopping. I know there’s a few decent stores in easy walking distance should you not feel like getting a taxi. But if you need one…take _this_ ,” said the dark-haired man as he slipped a wad of cash into the front pocket of Sephiroth’s jeans.

Sephiroth snorted, “I have money.”

“Now you have more. Buy yourself…something _pretty_ ,” drawled the crimson-eyed male as he eyed the younger male expectantly. “When I am done, I will call you. I shouldn’t need to tell you this, but…be safe. Nothing should happen during the day, but should there be an emergency, call me…”

“Will do,” promised the half-angel as he leaned over and pecked the older man quickly on the cheek before he opened the car door and slid out. After he shut the car door, he winked and waved at his half-brother before turning away to walk up the drive-way towards the house. He was fully aware that Vincent’s car remained in the same spot until he had successfully entered the house without incident.

Vincent was truly a gentleman, a dying breed, and Sephiroth was more than happy to have taken one of the last ones left in existence.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

The inside of the sensibly decorated house was just as classy as the outside with the obvious touch of a woman, which made him feel self-aware as he treaded cautiously lest he accidentally break something expensive. The fragrant, unmistakable scent of living flowers drifted into his nostrils as he walked up to what looked like a receptionist’s desk. When he peered over the tall desk, he noticed a small, petit Asian woman leaned back in her chair on the phone. When he cleared his throat, she nearly dropped her phone in surprise. The woman quickly sat up and smiled sheepishly at him until she had time to take in his appearance. Her blush deepened and eyes widened in that unmistakable manner of attraction that many women and some men always seemed to bear whenever they caught sight of him. As usual, he ignored it, pretending like he didn’t notice the obvious infatuation.

“I am so sorry about that, young man! No one ever comes in here except for Miss Diallo! Please forgive me!” Implored the small, young woman while bowing her head.

“That’s fine. I’m here to see Miss Diallo, actually. My name is Sephiroth Faremis. She is expecting me,” said the half-angel as he waved his hand dismissively at his apology. He honestly didn’t care what she did when she was working as long as she directed him to the right place.

The receptionist lifted her head, nodding as she smiled at him. “Of course, Mr. Faremis.”

“Sephiroth is fine,” corrected the silver-haired youth as he rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. This girl was around his age, give or take a few years older than him, which made him feel uncomfortable about being referred to so formally. It also made him remember his former history teacher and how that stern, insufferable man had always insisted on calling him Mr. Faremis despite how many times he had insisted on being called by his first name.

The slender girl nodded at him in understanding as she pushed the button of the intercom and announced, “Miss Diallo, there is a Sephiroth Faremis here to see you.”

A strong, yet sensual voice of an assertive woman answered, _“Send him in, if you would, Miss Liao.”_

“Follow me, please,” instructed Liao as she rose up from her chair and began leading the silent adolescent through a doorway and down a long hallway with doors on both sides. When they had reached the seventh door, Liao knocked twice before opening the door for the young man. She bowed her head respectfully before she retreated back to her desk wordlessly.

Sephiroth stepped into the room and closed the door behind him quietly out of respect. He glanced around the tranquil room that was decorated in shades of calm green and blue hues, which sort of reminded him of the sea. It was fairly obvious this was a study of some sort due to the large desk, the bookshelves, and the handful of chairs. It didn’t take him long at all to spot the tall, regal-looking, dark-skinned woman that was barely two or three inches shorter than he was. She wore a tasteful, elegant green-colored dress that perfectly matched the color of her pale grey-green eyes that seem to match the very room, as well. The sound of her short-heeled pumps echoed throughout the room as she strode towards him at a slow, casual pace.

“Why, hello young Sephiroth. I am Njóla Diallo. You may call me Nola, if you like,” greeted the tall, athletically built woman as she extended her hand gracefully for him to shake while she openly regarded him without being rude. He noticed then that her hair is blonde and shaved short to the point that she’s almost bald, but it looked good on her. He doesn’t know many woman, or even men that can pull off such a haircut and still look good.

“Hello,” simply greeted the half-angel as he shook the woman’s soft, slender fingered hand and noted the surprisingly firm grip that could rival many men’s. The strong hand soon released his own after the few customary moments that was required for a handshake.

“May I call you Sephiroth?” Inquired Nola as she inclined her head.

Sephiroth nodded. “Yeah, that’s fine…”

“It has been such a long time since I have come across another of my kind,” began Nola with a sincere smile that revealed white teeth that contrasted nicely against her espresso colored skin. She then gestured to the seats in front of the desk that were obviously reserved for clients as she navigated around the desk to sit in the chair located behind it. “Please…have a seat and make yourself comfortable, Sephiroth. This…may take awhile…”

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aw, look at all the lovey dovey moments. Don’t get too used to it. Shit will ensue soon enough. :D


	8. Of Angels and Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the short delay in updating. This was inventory week and it was a killer. Ugh. My mind is still reeling from it. Good thing it’s only once a year, I suppose. And now...I am sick. Yay. *sarcasm*
> 
> Just FYI, Cetra is going to be another name for angel in this story. While they are still spiritual beings in a sense, the angels aka the Cetra, are their own beings living in the world. They’re not exactly the same as the angels in the Bible and don’t serve God or any gods. Same goes for Demons. Demons are basically Cetra, but are usually referred to as Dark Cetra. More will be explained in this chapter and the following ones.

“We are going to start this meeting off by a series of questions I will ask you. Don’t feel pressured to answer them, but I highly recommend that you do so that we can figure everything out to the best of my ability. When I am finished asking you these questions, it will be your turn to ask me questions. Does that sound fair to you?” Spoke Nola in an even, calm manner that reminded Sephiroth of a therapist.

The silver-haired boy nodded curtly from his place sitting in the comfortable chair. Normally, he’d lean to the side or slump in his chair, but something about this woman made him want to sit up straight and proper with his hands on the arm rests.

“Very good,” commented Nola as she folded her hands on top of her desk and gave the young man her undivided attention without appearing intense or intimidating. “First of all, how old are you?”

“Eighteen.”

“How long have you known about what you are?”

Sephiroth began to feel the urge to chew on his fingernails, but refrained from doing so. It was a nasty habit he was trying to stop, anyway. “Not even a week.”

“I see,” she said, lifting an eyebrow as if such a thing is unheard of. “How did you find out the truth?”

“Someone close to me revealed my true form to me,” vaguely answered Sephiroth. He wasn’t entirely sure how much he should tell her or if he even could trust her even if she was one of his kind.

“I presume this someone is the W.R.O.’s own Vincent Valentine? Am I correct?” Inquired the sage-eyed woman calmly, no judgement found anywhere on her person.

While his hands gripped the armrests, the male half-angel nodded slowly.

Grey-green eyes glanced down at the young man, which prompted a slim, blonde eyebrow to arch ever so subtly. “If you are wondering how I know, I was informed by another that he was the one who made the call requesting for one of our kind. Prior to the call, I already had some knowledge of that man. Now then, do tell me, how did he… _encourage_ your true form to reveal itself?”

“It…wasn’t him, per se, but his demon half, Chaos, that revealed it to me, by touching my bare back,” Sephiroth answered with some hesitancy on his part.

“I see. Are you _involved_ with this man, by any chance?”

“How do you mean?” Asked the green-eyed boy even though he was pretty sure he knew what she had meant.

Nola sighed and slowly rose up from her seat to stride over to the window. With her back to the young male, she lifted the curtain a bit to peer outside. “Is your relationship with Mr. Valentine of the sexual or romantic kind? Feel free not to answer that; however, know that I am not here to judge you or that man.”

Being judged by a stranger wasn’t really a concern of his since he didn’t particularly care too much what most people thought about him in the first place. What he was more concerned about was protecting Vincent from harm and also not making his work life any more complicated than it probably already was. He wasn’t certain how demon hunters in the W.R.O. operated or even what any of the rules were. For all he knew, his relationship with Vincent could be against the rules of the W.R.O., or at the very least, heavily frowned upon.

“Being judged is the least of my worries, Miss Nola. If you know what Vincent is then you will understand why I am hesitant to answer your question,” said Sephiroth as he crossed his arms over his chest. His stubborn streak was beginning to show now that he was becoming more accustomed to this woman’s presence.

“I do not report to the W.R.O or owe them information of any kind. What we talk about here today and any other day, is strictly confidential. I should have told you this at the beginning of the meeting. For that, I apologize,” explained Nola after she had turned around to look at the young male angel. She strode back to her desk and gingerly seated herself once again.

“I love him, that’s all you need to know,” confessed the silver-haired boy without blinking his eyes as he stared back at her, waiting for her reaction.

Nola didn’t appear the least bit fazed by his defiant attitude or by the fact that he had just admitted to loving a half-demon. “I thought as much. Onto my next question: do you know both of your parents, or only one? If not, do you know if you are adopted?”

“Yes, I know them. As far as I know, they are both my biological parents.”

“Which means that one of them is of celestial descent. Do you know which one?”

Sephiroth nodded slowly. “My mother, I think.”

“Has she ever spoken to you about your heritage?”

“No, never. She’s never mentioned angels, demons, or gods. My mother doesn’t practice any sort of religion. She doesn’t even remotely like fantasy, sci-fi or supernatural genres,” replied the green-eyed male with a shrug.

“I see,” said the tall woman, her eyes stared at nothing in particular as she sorted through her thoughts on the matter. She tapped her fingernails one after another slowly on the table in a pattern that seemed almost soothing.

The methodic sound of her nails clicking against the table lulled him into his own meditative state while they both sat in contemplative silence. After a stretch of several minutes, he remembered something peculiar. At the time, it hadn’t been that odd, but the more he thought about it, the stranger it became in his mind.

“I don’t know if this is important or not, but not too long ago, my mother mentioned something about making sacrifices to be with my dad and to have kids. The way she said it sounded…weird to me and I thought it was a strange thing for her to say. Do you think that means anything?” Asked Sephiroth who noticed immediately when Nola’s fingers froze the moment he cited _sacrifices_.

“It means she is aware of her past, of what she lost to gain what she has now. At first, I thought she may be suffering from amnesia, but I do not think this is the case. She must be aware of what she is and what you are, but kept you in the dark about it for whatever reasons. I would assume she wanted her children to grow up living normal lives without attracting unwanted forces. That, and…perhaps she is running from something in her past. It is difficult to discern exactly what is going on in her head, but I am almost one-hundred percent certain that it was your mother who locked away the angel part of yourself. I would suggest…possibly bringing her here at some point. She may not be willing, I warn you. This is…rather tricky,” explained Nola as she gracefully rose up from her desk. She slowly strode around the desk to hand him a sealed, manila package. “Here is some extra information you may need, along with my contact information. Come, let us take a walk in the garden out back. You can ask me anything you like then.”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Behind the house was a nicely kept garden bearing tastefully placed trees, stone benches, vibrantly colored flower beds, and a winding trail to walk through. It would seem there was at least a few decent acres of garden to walk through behind the house. It was quiet, peaceful and buzzing with the usual every day activity of birds and insects alike.

“You don’t seem bothered by the fact that I am involved with Vincent,” stated Sephiroth as he slowly walked beside the somewhat shorter woman. He feigned interest in the garden so that it wouldn’t be obvious he was watching for her reaction.

Nola stopped walking to kneel down to pick up a tired bee. She strode over to a windowsill that held several small colorful bowls. She placed the bee on the ledge of the bowl so that it could rest and drink the liquid whenever it was ready. When she was satisfied that the bee was taken care of, she walked back over to the adolescent. “Forgive my rudeness. I take it upon myself to care for them, you see. All life is sacred and I strive to keep it so…despite the intolerant opinions of others…”

“That’s very commendable,” said Sephiroth, feeling slightly guilty because he probably would have walked past the bee without noticing it.

The dark-skinned woman continues to observe the life buzzing around them, her sage-colored eyes drawn to a green and pink hummingbird as it flitted to and fro in pursuit of sustenance. “Such a simple, considerate action is often ignored by the vast majority in favor of selfish pursuits. Your Vincent Valentine is one of the minority…doing what few others dare to do. Because of him, many can sleep undisturbed at night and fewer die from demon attacks. His job is dangerous and thankless, but he still does the right thing regardless of that.”

“You don’t seem at all bothered that he’s a half-demon,” points out Sephiroth as he watches her closely.

“We are of the Cetra, and essentially, we are all one when it comes down to it. It is through no fault of his own that he just happens to be related to a Dark Cetra. What someone _is_ by blood does not concern me; it is what someone **does** that interests me,” revealed Nola as she regards Sephiroth with a sympathetic face with hints of sorrow coming through. Suddenly, he saw that there was something old in her eyes, yet timeless in a way despite her youthful face and body. He wondered exactly how old she was and where she came from, but decides to save those questions for a later time.

“ _Dark Cetra_? What is a Cetra exactly?”

“It is what we all are, child. You are half-Cetra while your beau is half-Dark Cetra. The terms Angels and Demons is a rather new invention, used to simplify, yet disillusion humanity. It is far easier to refer to us as mythological creatures, those of good and evil even though it is far more complicated than that. We are a race of beings, like humans, yet different. The Cetra and the Dark Cetra are essentially the same race, split apart by an event that happened a long time ago…a time before technology, before humanity, even. No one knows exactly what transpired to create such a rift between our kind…a deviation from our kind, more like. All that is known is a conflict triggered the change in the Cetra…a change that encouraged the hatred and the decimation of our kind. There used to be many Cetra, but over the past few centuries, our numbers have dwindled down greatly.”

Intrigued by such a morbid, fascinating subject, he leaned forward in the edge of the chair. “Why is that?”

Nola deeply sighed, “Let us just say, the Dark Cetra despise us for reasons unknown to me, and have spent those centuries seeking our kind…to slaughter, to torture, or to just kill us. Yes, _slaughter_. Some…actually enjoy eating Cetra, though these days they usually have to settle for the taste of humans. I think, on another day, I will tell you more about them. I warn you, it may take hours to _explain_ …”

“I was…attacked by one of those Dark Cetras, I think. It wanted to rape, and eat me, I think. It used venom to paralyze me but before it could do anything more, Vincent came…and killed it,” confessed Sephiroth with unfocused eyes as he remembered that particular nasty incident.

“You were fortunate. It could have ended…much worse. You will have to learn how to properly defend yourself. I like you…you seem like a fine, young man with some moral upbringing. I was not quite certain before if I wanted to mentor you, but now I am. If you are willing, I would have you come back here a few times a week to receive proper training and education. What do you say?” Offered the sage-eyed woman with a small, gentle smile.

“If you can put up with my stubborn ass, then yes, I accept,” answered Sephiroth with a half-smirk.

“Stubbornness is not always a bad thing,” said Nola as she offered her hand to him. When he accepted her hand in his own, larger hand and shook it, she asserted, “Then it is done. I want you to read _everything_ in that manila package and in two days’ time, return at the same time. Only…this time, have Mr. Valentine accompany you…”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

 

Twenty minutes later, Sephiroth had wandered into a Victorian styled looking house that sold mostly antique things kept in excellent condition. Among the items were many old, yet well-maintained and restored tomes lining the shelves near the back of the shop. Said shop was dimly lit and even featured a few comfortable armchairs for people to sit in near the back whether it was to wait on someone or to read one of the old books. While Sephiroth didn’t find it unpleasant, the store smelled vaguely of incense and something else he couldn’t quite place. The temperature of the place was comfortably cool without it being too freezing for most customers.

“Fancy finding you in this part of town _again_ ,” murmured a familiar male voice that had Sephiroth freeze on the spot. His fingers, which had been lightly trailing against the spines of several books, stopped their movement abruptly. He then looked over his shoulder at a handsome, dark-haired man standing a few feet behind him. He snorted when he recognized the man and turned back to skimming his fingers against the books. He had to knock the image of a navy blue shirt and black shorts that clung to that man’s fit body like a second skin. He had also seen the Under Armor logo and the light sheen of sweat covering the man’s skin, which obviously meant he had recently worked out. Some men smelled horrible after a good work out, but not this man. He smelled… _good_ , too good, in an enticing way. It made the half-Cetra stop breathing momentarily to stop inhaling the appealing scent. As tantalizing as it was, it was nowhere near as intoxicating and powerful as Vincent’s own scent.

“Shouldn’t someone your age be out partying with friends or…out on a date? I’m surprised to find you here…looking at _books_ , of all things. I can’t really complain, though. It’s nice to see one of my former students still attempting to challenge his mind instead of poisoning his body,” spoke the dark-haired man in a teasing lilt that made Sephiroth smile lightly.

“Nice to see you _still_ have a sense of humor, Mr. Tseng…even if it is a bit on the dry side,” snorted Sephiroth as he carefully pulled out one of the tomes. He gingerly opened it and was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful illustrations of flowers and the lovely, neat handwriting that accompanied them. He flipped through a few more random pages before he closed when he had mentally made his choice to buy this book. The silver-haired boy just knew his sister would adore this book since she pretty much treasured anything that had to do with flowers. Whoever had written and illustrated this book had painstakingly catalogued countless flowers. Sure, there was the internet and other more modern books, but this one was different somehow.

“It’s even nicer to see someone actually appreciate it,” countered Tseng as he maneuvered around the teenager so that he was facing him. His dark eyes flicked down to scrutinize the book cradled in the taller male’s arm. “Flowers, hm? I didn’t know you were into botany…”

Sephiroth snorted. “That’s because I’m not.”

“Mhm, I see. What brings you out to… _this_ part of town, hm? I never thought I would catch you down here again. Unless…did you beat up another student for me?” Teased Tseng as he leaned partially against the strong bookcase in such a way that implied he did this often. His overall demeanor seemed to indicate that he was especially familiar with this little shop as if he visited it every day.

The silver-haired boy sighed heavily before his green eyes hardened at the memory of that particular incident he labeled as stupid. Stupid because the idiot and his parents had tried to sue him and his family over a single hit. That dumb prick Heidegger didn’t even have to go to the hospital, suffering no permanent damage of any kind. Sometimes just thinking about it made Sephiroth grind his teeth and clench his fists from the anger still lingering inside of him. “I did not beat anyone up. All I did was punch his fat mouth for bad mouthing you. It was his own damn fault he received a bad grade in the first place. Maybe if he wasn’t too busy being a prick, he would have had time to study more and you know, actually apply himself and not fail. So no, I’m not sorry I hit him because he called you a stuck up, prissy faggot. The only thing I’m sorry about is that I didn’t break his fucking bitch jaw.”

“Oh, is _that_ what he said?” Laughed the dark-haired man, shaking his head, which caused a few stray strands of dark, straight hair to slip free from its bondage.

Sephiroth nearly dropped the book when he had attempted to cross his arms over his chest which was instinctual for him to do whenever he was defensive or displeased about something. Luckily, he latched onto the book before it could slip free from his hand. He was a bit baffled by how unconcerned and laid back the normally stern educator was about such a thing. The adolescent male knew that if it had been him, he’d be scowling about it, at the very least.

“Oh, come now, Sephiroth. I am a bit on the stuck up side and I rather do enjoy beautiful, intelligent men. However, I will have to wholly refute the prissy allegation on the grounds that I am not afraid to get _dirty_ ,” assured the dark-eyed, older man with a surreptitious wink.

To think that nearly a week ago, he had been utterly smitten by this intelligent, striking man and would have inwardly jumped for joy over hearing that he was, in fact, attracted to men. Oh, don’t get him wrong…he still thought Tseng was hot as hell and all, but the urge to taste him was pretty much gone, thanks to Vincent. Hah…he would have to thank Genesis later for ruining Sephiroth’s chance to kiss Tseng, because if he had kissed him…he might not have become involved with Vincent. Not too long ago, he had rather foolishly attempted to kiss Tseng despite not knowing his sexual preference or if he was even remotely attracted to Sephiroth at all. His friend had chosen that exact moment to unwittingly walk into the classroom singing loudly, causing Sephiroth to cease all action. Even to this day, he wasn’t certain if his former teacher had even been aware of what his intentions had been then. 

Another part of Sephiroth silently damned Heidegger because it was that bearded boy’s fault he had noticed Tseng at all. It wasn’t until _after_ he had defended Tseng’s honor that he started noticing just how beautiful the older man was. What also didn’t help was Heidegger spreading rumors that Sephiroth had passed Tseng’s class by sucking his dick in exchange for a passing grade. Despite getting hit by Sephiroth once, Heidegger had still continued to run his mouth until he had been cornered in the hallway by Sephiroth himself. The half-angel had confronted the hefty, hairy boy about running his mouth like a broken, clogged toilet. He remembered telling Heidegger that if given a choice, he’d gladly suck Tseng’s dick every day over touching any part of Heidegger’s loose and probably diseased girlfriend Scarlet. _Ugh_. Even if he did like girls, she’d be the very last on his fuck list. That girl had a laugh that could kill any erection and slept with anyone as long as she received something she wanted in return. The only reason she dated Heidegger, who everyone knew she actually despised, was to receive expensive gifts in exchange for having what she believed was the ‘privilege’ of dating her.

So yeah, it was all Heidegger’s fault he had become infatuated with a man in his mid-thirties. Calling Tseng a faggot and accusing Sephiroth of giving said man oral pleasure had turned on a switch in his head. It had caused him to look at his teacher in a way he had never thought to look at him before. Technically, none of that mattered now since he had a man who made him burn inside and out with such love and desire it was staggering beyond comprehension. Barely a week ago, he had been just a senior in high school living with his family, hanging out with his friends, and lusting for his history teacher. Yet now…now all of those things were secondary, faraway things he was willing to leave behind to be with Vincent. 

“I am here to possibly find my sister a birthday gift. No lawyers this time. What about you? Why are you here?” Questioned Sephiroth after he had shook away his obstructive thoughts. Tseng had been right about brushing off that little incident. In the end, no one had been charged with anything and no one had been sued. The lawyer, Veld, if Sephiroth recalled his name correctly, hadn’t even charged his family any fees at all. Life had returned mostly to normal and everyone had moved on. Such a petty, stupid incident shouldn’t keep Sephiroth from following suit.

“Since I own this shop, it is my duty to come by and check up on it now and then. I have to make sure my employees are actually working and not spending all of their time distracted by pretty boys like you,” revealed Tseng as he glanced over Sephiroth’s shoulder to pointedly glare at a red-haired young man that was brazenly gawking at the silver-haired adolescent. It was obvious the redhead was fixated on the youth’s well-formed, muscular backside. This caused the older man to sigh wearily before he snapped, “Reno! Stop ogling the customers and get back to work. This is not a gay bar.”

“Sorry, boss! Just enjoying the… _scenery_ , is all,” said the redhead with a deep blush as he scrambled to quickly stock the rest of the books before bolting to the backroom.

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow as he looked over his shoulder to watch the red-head scamper away. “That’s strange. I didn’t even know he was behind me…”

“Had I not been here, he might have attempted to cop a feel,” sighed Tseng as he massaged his temples.

“Something like that happen often here?”

Tseng cracked a reflective smile and shook his head. “No, not really. You could say most of the customers tend to be on the _older_ , less attractive side. Reno is usually a very diligent, competent worker until a pretty, young girl or boy happens to wander into the shop by accident. The most Reno has done so far is flirt shamelessly and offer his number to whoever he has an eye for. The coping a feel thing was a joke, but not too far off from the truth.”

“This shop is actually very nice and looks like it does well. I’m surprised you even bother to teach, Mr. Tseng.”

“Call me Tseng. I’m not your teacher anymore,” corrected the dark-eyed man with a soft, charming smile most of his students would have to stare at for hours just to even start to believe such a thing existed. “You are correct, this shop does very well and financially, I do not need to teach, but I rather enjoy it nonetheless. Every now and then…I get a student like you that makes the routine, humdrum role of teaching well worth it.”

Sephiroth saluted him like a soldier paying respects to his commanding officer. With a lazy, half-smile, he said, “Glad to be of service then. If you get my sister in your class, I’m sure she won’t disappoint you. Zack, however…eh…well, let’s not talk about him.”

The half-Cetra’s phone vibrated in his pocket, alerting him of a possible call or text message. He quickly fished it out since he recalled Vincent saying that he would call him when he was done. The young man noticed a missed call from his half-brother and a text message. He quickly opened and scanned the message, feeling his chest gush with fondness even though there wasn’t anything particularly special about the message.

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: JerkFace**

_I am finished with my business. Let me know when and where to pick you up._

2:44 PM

“I have to get going now, Tseng, but it was nice to see you again,” stated Sephiroth as he nodded respectfully towards his former teacher. He turned to walk to the front, but a hand on his right forearm halted him. The younger male turned to regard the older man with a befuddled look on his young face. He was even more confused when he saw the black-haired man slip something into the pages of the tome cradled in his left arm.

“Contact information if you ever have need of me, Sephiroth. I also wouldn’t mind seeing you for lunch sometime, of course,” explained Tseng with another of his secretive winks. He then gestured to the book and said, “Consider that book on the house, this time. Feel free to return anytime to peruse the rest of the books. I’m sure there is something here you’d enjoy reading. Some of these books are hundreds of years old, by the way…”

Sephiroth felt hesitant to accept the gift. “I couldn’t…”

“Consider it my own personal gratitude for sticking up for me, Sephiroth. Go ahead and take it because I will not charge you for it,” Tseng insisted, already well versed in how hard-headed his former student could be at times.

“Fine, you win. Thank you, Tseng,” sighed Sephiroth with a small smile. He waved farewell to his former teacher before he strode out of the shop and out onto the sidewalk. Glancing around, he spotted a small, clean café called _Cosmo Canyon_ and decided to pop in for something to drink. The angel was pleasantly surprised to find the café wasn’t crowded and noisy like some tended to be when he walked in. The fragrant smell of fresh coffee and cake wafted into his nostrils as he strode up to the counter. After he had ordered two coffees to-go, he grabbed his phone and quickly typed up a reply.

**To: JerkFace**

**From: Sephiroth**

_In a café called Cosmo Canyon. Know where that is? I ordered you a coffee so your ass is drinking it even if it sucks._

2:56 PM

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: JerkFace**

_I know it. Will be there in a few, so stay put. As for the coffee...I’ve heard of coffee enemas, but have never personally partook in one. I think I’d rather drink the coffee using my mouth, thank you._

2:58 PM

**To: JerkFace**

**From: Sephiroth**

_You’re an ass. Hurry up, I miss you. Idiot._

2:59 PM

Sephiroth leaned against the counter, idly watching the occasional car whiz by after receiving his order. He opened the book and pulled out the business card Tseng had slipped between the pages of a weird illustrated flower he’d never seen before in his life. Staring down at the card in his left hand, he contemplated what to do with it. It would be rude to throw it away, yet…was it right to keep it? Maybe Tseng’s interest in him was strictly platonic and the teasing had been merely for fun. After all, sometimes his friends, including Zack, teased him in similar ways. It could be possible he had been reading Tseng’s body language all wrong. Well, whatever Tseng’s intentions were, Sephiroth didn’t intend for anything beyond a simple friendship. He’d keep the card, just in case he needed him as a reference or something, but wouldn’t accept lunch or dinner. That…sounded too much like a date even though friends often met for lunch or dinner with no strings attached. Still, he’d have to tread carefully since Vincent seemed to be a bit on the insecure, jealous side. This was why he had left the shop and texted Vincent the name of the café instead. He hadn’t wanted to risk Vincent meeting Tseng since it would have been…very awkward for them all. He was still surprised his brother had not blown Angeal’s head off for planting a kiss on him.

Placing the card in his wallet, Sephiroth sighed and slipped his wallet back into the left back pocket of his pants. He felt a wave of guilt wash over him even though he had nothing to feel guilty about. After all, Tseng was his former teacher and nothing remotely sexual had ever transpired between them. Perhaps he felt guilty because he had had sexual feelings for Tseng and although it had faded, some of it still lingered behind. Even though there was nothing between Vincent and his ex-finance, Sephiroth was certain he wouldn’t feel comfortable about his lover going on little dates with her. As confident as he portrayed himself to be in front of friends and family, there was a part of himself that felt insecure and paranoid. After all, Vincent had ignored him, rejected him before. While he understood his reasons for it now, there was still that niggling doubt in the back of his mind. Maybe…Vincent had been rejected by someone before since it was obvious to him that someone, or something had hurt his half-brother badly enough for him to both hate and doubt himself.

  **To: Sephiroth**

**From: JerkFace**

_I’m here._

3:04 PM

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Once he was in the car and everything was placed down safely, Sephiroth grabbed Vincent’s face and kissed him hard, half sitting on the clutch and on his brother’s lap. He had half a mind to seduce Vincent in his own car in front of the café, but the more rational part of his brain screamed against such a thing since they were in broad daylight and kids were walking around. Releasing Vincent’s face, he slid back into the passenger seat and buckled the seat belt. He couldn’t help grinning when he noticed the flabbergasted look on the older male’s face.

“Did…something happen?” Asked a concerned looking Vincent.

“I told you, I missed you. Why, I cannot fathom. You’re a cold ass.”

“Answer my question, _boy_ , or we’re not going anywhere,” growled Vincent, obviously in no mood for games. Despite himself, his gaze flickered down to the younger male’s mile long legs.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. “Nothing bad happened, Vin. Miss Nola is a nice lady. I think I like her, and she agreed to…eh, _mentor_ me. I’ll be going to see her again in a couple of days…”

Satisfied with his answer, the dark-haired demon hunter pulled out onto the road with every intention of taking them back home, or at least, back into town since it was a long drive, after all.

The half-Cetra leaned over, resting his head on the older man’s shoulder and curling his right arm loosely around his waist. He next mumbled, “I was joking about you being cold. An ass, yes, you are, but you’re nowhere near cold. You’re hot, actually. A hot ass…”

“I know,” said Vincent with a half-smirk as his right arm crept around the younger male, pulling him closer.

After ten minutes or so of comfortable, companionable silence, Sephiroth tilted his head to look at his calm brother. “Vincent?”

“Hm?”

“Have you ever heard of the Cetra…or the Dark Cetra?”

The only thing that betrayed Vincent’s knowledge of the subject was the slight tensing of his body and the way he gripped the steering wheel with his left hand. The blank mask that was his face stayed riveted on the road without glancing at his younger brother.

Sephiroth poked him in the cheek a few times until blood-red orbs glanced at him in slight annoyance. He sighed, “That a yes? Or a no?”

“I have heard of them, yes…but it has been a long time since I have heard those terms,” eventually answered the crimson-eyed man, quietly sighing.

“How come you never mentioned it to me before?”

“I work for the W.R.O., Sephiroth. They…don’t use such terms and like I said, it’s been a long time since I’ve heard the term Cetra. For years, all I’ve heard and used was the typical angel/demon terminology. I wasn’t keeping it from you. I just…didn’t recall it until you mentioned it. It’s like…not speaking a language for years and then suddenly hearing words you haven’t heard in years…”

The jade-eyed male poked him in the cheek again and smirked at the narrowed, crimson gaze shot at him. “I get it. So…what do you know about them?”

“Admittedly…not very much. All I really know is that for whatever reasons, the Dark Cetra hunt the Cetra. It seems to be their goal to rid the world of the Cetra and whenever they find one, even a half-breed like you, they get… _excited_. It is like something is goading them to do it, and they respond to it almost like a hive mind of sorts. I have…seen what they do to Cetra, half-Cetra, and humans alike, and it’s…a nightmare not even horror films can come close to accurately depicting…”

“What about your mother? If she’s a demon, then…doesn’t that make her a Dark Cetra? What was she like?” Asked Sephiroth and as soon as the questions left his mouth, he regretted them because it all sounded insensitive to his own ears.

“Yes, that is what she is. I would…prefer not to speak of her, if you don’t mind,” quietly uttered the half-Dark Cetra.

“I’m sorry…” Said Sephiroth as he attempted to sit upright in his seat since he felt he had ruined the comfortable mood between them.

“Don’t be. I will tell you…in time. Just not now,” vowed Vincent, tightening his arm around the half-angel, refusing to allow him his retreat.

“Nola wants me to bring you to the next meeting,” announced the silver-haired boy, sensing his brother wanted the subject changed to something else. When he saw Vincent arch a fine, black eyebrow, he elaborated, “She spoke very highly of you, Vincent. She’s definitely not a stuck up angel, you know. In fact…she knows we’re together and doesn’t seem to care…”

“You told her…about us?” Slowly asked Vincent with some disbelief in his voice. His mask of indifference was cracked by a mix of emotions that Sephiroth found difficult to properly discern.

“Yes…was that bad? Should I have not said anything…?”

“No…just a bit surprised. I told you that I do not care who you tell or don’t tell. It’s up to you,” said the half-demon, his usual stoic mask sliding back in place.

Sephiroth huffed, “You have a say, too, you know…”

“As long as you are happy, then that is enough for me,” sighed Vincent, not realizing he had just set himself up.

“It would make me happy to know how you feel about it. If it were up to you, would you want your friends and family to know?” Inquired the crafty younger man, using the older man’s words against him.

After a long, somewhat uncomfortable period of silence, Vincent finally answered, “I would want the _world_ to know that you are mine.”

“So be it,” murmured Sephiroth, his eyes drooping closed of their own accord. He wanted to stay awake, really, he did…but he was just too comfortable pressed against his brother and long car rides always made him feel either sick or sleepy. The low lull of the radio and the sound of Vincent’s even heartbeat ultimately soothed him into a light, tranquil nap.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

_Two Hours Later…_

“Let’s go to Icicle Inn,” suggested Sephiroth after he had awoken from his cat nap due to the intense, burning heat in the pit of his belly. Even though his coffee was cold, he still forced himself to drink from the paper cup because he wanted to wake up. Hot or cold, it was still coffee. It did very little to distract him from the boiling hot heat that had spread throughout his body, making him drag his fingers up and down the older man’s cloth-covered chest. 

Voice on the husky side, Vincent rasped, “Why? Aren’t you hungry?”

“Food can wait. Unless you want to make a… _mess_ in your car, I highly recommend you take us to the inn…”

“You’re a horny little brat, aren’t you,” stated Vincent as he side glanced at the smirking adolescent pawing at him. He had half a mind to pull the car over and fuck his half-brother all over the clean, leather seats.

“You awakened the beast, so deal with it,” snarked the half-Cetra as he began kissing and sucking at the hunter’s pale neck. He didn’t fail to notice the way Vincent gripped the steering wheel hard with both hands as he concentrated hard on driving without crashing his car. The silver-haired youth took pity on him by extracting himself from the very distracted, flustered man. Fishing out his phone, he opened his browser and quickly tapped away on his phone until the car was parked in the parking lot of Icicle Inn. The car had barely stopped before he leaped out and ran into the front office of the building. Within twenty seconds, he came out holding a key as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. He smirked at the cool gaze Vincent directed at him, black eyebrow arched as he walked over to the slightly taller youth.

“That…was fast,” commented Vincent.

“The power of the internet…” Sephiroth nodded and grabbed the other man’s hand. He tugged him along to their room door at a hasty pace as if he really had to use the bathroom and couldn’t wait a second longer. As soon as they were at the door, he pushed Vincent against it and pressed against him, his ravenous mouth devouring the half-demon’s mouth in a frenzied, desperate kiss that was more teeth than anything else. Hips rubbed together in a flurry of pent up passion as lips moaned into each other. Vincent’s hands grabbed and squeezed at Sephiroth’s ass before he lifted him up by his rear and slammed him against the door so that he was the one pinned against it. Long legs wrapped around him as the dark-haired man tore his mouth away to concentrate on getting the door open. He fumbled with the key when he felt lips and teeth sucking and biting at one of his earlobes. It took him a couple of failed attempts before he had managed to sink the key into the lock and twist it open, both of them nearly tumbling together into the room. Vincent had had enough of a mind to grab the doorway to prevent the disgraceful fall that would have probably broken something. Or worse, it could have ended up with them falling to the ground and screwing each other senseless in the open doorway for all to see.

As the door closed, neither brother noticed the wide blue, shocked eyes that watched them until they had disappeared behind the door that had closed shut behind them.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want ya’ll to know I appreciate the kudos and comments, always, and of course, actually reading the story. The band Daughter is the music I usually listen to while writing this story and TDB. It’s also one of the things that helps drive me to keep writing and updating. 
> 
> Something about the haunting, melodic, tragic voice and instrumentals brings out the feels in me. You guys have no idea how much I love this band. I highly recommend “Still”, “Landfill”, “Doing the right thing”, “Youth”, “Candles”, “Human”, and “Love” as just some of several of Daughter’s good songs. I’m still slowly digesting this band’s music and probably will own all their songs eventually at this rate. 
> 
> Anywho, thanks for reading. Just wanted to thank ya’ll and reveal something that helps inspire the mood of my stories lately. ;)


	9. The Widow's Walk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for some biting/blood consumption, implied switching, some M/M sex, and mention of underage drinking. Don't like, don't read.

“Vincent?”

Said man turned his face slowly away from its sanctuary buried in the pillow. His long, inky black hair was even more disheveled than ever due to their recent bout of strenuous activity. A good chunk of unruly dark hair shrouded half of his pale face from view, which was normal for him on a daily basis though his hair was admittedly more unkempt looking that usual. He peeked one sleepy, glazed eye open to stare at his young lover like a sleeping beast stirring from its slumber by a rambunctious cub. “Hm?”

“Would you be…well, would you ever be willing to let me, um, _top_?” Asked Sephiroth with some hesitance as he propped himself up on his elbows so that he could get a better look at the man presently lying on his stomach with a sheet wrapped loosely around his hips. Well, as good a look as one could hope to get at a man with half his face hidden, anyway.

“If that is what you wish,” sighed the half-demon’s drowsy, gravelly voice.

“But is that something you’d like?” Pushed the half-Cetra, eager to pull a solid answer out of the older man. Sometimes getting answers from his brother was like slowly pulling healthy teeth from gums that just didn’t want to let go.

“I have done it once,” vaguely answered the Dark Cetra hybrid, his crimson stare betraying nothing.

The jade-eyed youth sat up abruptly and leaned over Vincent to stare down with at him with both awe and jealousy. His skeptical voice is incredulous as he questioned, “You’ve done _that_ before?”

Vincent sighed again. “Yes, several years ago. I did not particularly like it…”

The angel remembered just how cautious and gentle Vincent had been with him their first time together despite Sephiroth’s own impatience. Had his brother been hurt before by a careless lover? Or maybe the other man had just done it wrong? He’d heard of that happening before. Sometimes when someone was too rough or just too inexperienced, it ended up tainting the entire experience for one or both people involved. While he didn’t particularly enjoy the notion of Vincent with past lovers, the thought of him being hurt by someone, even by accident, sickened him and outweighed any jealousy that he might have felt. “Did he hurt you? Or did he just do it wrong?”

A low chuckle reverberated from Vincent’s chest as he slowly rolled over onto his back. He folded an arm behind his head to support it as he gazed up at the concerned boy with mild amusement on his part. The concern etched so deeply in such fine features ended up causing him to take pity on the poor boy. “No, he did not hurt me. He was very experienced and knew what he was doing. It felt good, but it just wasn’t something I particularly liked, so I never did it again.”

“So…it felt good to you, but you didn’t like it? I’m not sure I understand that…”

“If someone other than you would kiss and touch me, or go down on me, it would most likely feel good, but I wouldn’t like it. It wouldn’t feel right to me. Something can feel pleasurable _and_ feel wrong at the same time.”

“I guess that makes sense,” murmured Sephiroth while he absorbed the older man’s words. He understood, or so he believed he did. Something still wasn’t clicking in his brain just yet, but he was sure it would make sense in time. Despite this, he rolled onto his side and queried, “So does that mean you wouldn’t want to…?”

“If it is with you, and it is what you want, then I will do it…within reason, of course. If there is anything you ever want to try, feel free to ask. The worst I can do is say no, Sephiroth. I am open to a lot, but there are a few things I will not do. Like hurt or…degrade you, for example.”

Sephiroth felt himself melt at such wholehearted words and couldn’t help immediately latching himself onto the older man. His limbs tangled around his brother as he laid half of his face on the slightly shorter male’s hairless, scarred chest. “How about…you let me top you, just once, and we’ll see how it goes from there? I just want to know how it feels this one time. I might be young and you might think I will grow out of this, will lose interest in you…but I feel like you’re it for me. I don’t want anyone else. Just you, only you. Do you think that’s stupid?”

“Not at all,” murmured Vincent as he swept some of his brother’s silver fringe out of his eyes. “Careful, little brother…it would seem I am starting to rub off on you. You talk about the things I say, and how smooth it sounds to you, yet you don’t hear yourself, do you? You already know I cannot, will not deny you anything. So if this is your wish, then I will allow it.”

Sephiroth nods in agreement to his words, remaining silent for a whole forty seconds or so before he eagerly asked, “So can we…?”

Both of Vincent’s fine, black eyebrows rose in slight disbelief at Sephiroth’s pluck. “Right… _now_?”

“You know a better time? We’re both relaxed right now, after all.”

The demon hunter’s right hand slowly grazed under the sheet, fingers skimming against tired flesh until they found their intended target. A hand squeezed Sephiroth’s well-formed, albeit sore buttocks and he smiled faintly when the younger male arched against him with a groan. “Very well…”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“I think…I know what you meant now,” panted Sephiroth, his trembling legs still locked around the older man’s body like a snare to a rabbit. He hissed and tightened his hold when the demon on top of him tried to slip free from his body. As exhausted and spent as he was, he selfishly didn’t want his lover to pull out, to leave him feeling unpleasantly empty.

Vincent said nothing as he lazily peppered the younger man’s face and neck with feather light, wet kisses. Despite his recent orgasm, his softening organ filled up with blood again, becoming turgid once more due to the angel’s reluctance to release him from his clenching, still spasming body. The rush to fuck, to claim was gone, now replaced by the languid, unhurried urge to slowly grind into his brother’s loosened, yet somewhat still tight, slick orifice. His lower body jerked a bit when he felt Sephiroth’s hands cup and squeeze his fleshy, muscled backside. It took him several long minutes to realize the younger male had spoken something and when he had somehow fully digested it, he growled lowly, “ _Do you now? Do tell_ …”

“Ah… _yes_ …” Gasped Sephiroth, his body arched underneath the body that pinned him relentlessly against the mattress. The feel of a heavy body pressed against him, weighing him down felt indescribably good to him to the point he found it comforting. His head rolled back, lips parted in a soundless ‘ _o_ ’ as he exposed his throat at the overwhelming, insistent hard press of a dick massaging his prostate without mercy. His raw, hoarse voice was a garbled string of barely coherent words he managed to moan out. “…this… _this_ is…right. Fucking you…felt…so good…but not…right. This…is better, this…feels so right…”

“I could make love to you forever…until you break apart and there is nothing left…” rumbled Vincent throatily into the half-angel’s ear. He angled himself just right before sliding deeply through the wet, hot heat that made him want to press as deep as he could go and take root. He slowly ground himself into Sephiroth’s ass, his prick rubbing without mercy against the younger man’s already overstimulated sweet spot. Darkened eyes blown wide with lust watched with renewed interest at the sight of that beautiful, long neck offered so willingly to him. He then, ever so slowly, pulled out almost completely before sliding back inside that velvet heat at the same time his mouth clamped over that exposed throat. Sharp canines pierced tender flesh, ripping out long, shuddering moans from the both of them as Vincent’s release peaked, his seed gushing hotly into his lover’s body. His lips embraced porcelain flesh, drinking deeply the rich fluid of his brother’s blood as his hips continued to slowly pump into the younger man’s overstimulated, yet very receptive body until exhaustion finally had claimed them both. 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“For an old man, you recover quickly. I’m glad I don’t have to slip you Viagra or something to get you _interested_ again,” teased Sephiroth with a smirk after he was showered and fully dressed once again. He glanced at the rumpled, sullied bed and didn’t envy the tough job they were leaving behind for housekeeping to tackle. Better strangers than his mother, that’s for sure.

Vincent rolled his eyes. “I’m not that old, brat. I’m not even 30, yet.”

“If you say so. I might have to grab you some old man pills anyway, just in case,” laughed Sephiroth as he tugged on his boots. He glanced over his shoulder at the raven-haired male and divulged, “Did you know dad has _those_ pills? I found them one day in his medicine cabinet when I was looking for nail clippers.”

“You _didn’t_ …”

Sephiroth snorted, “Course not. I’m not old, I don’t need to take his pills. Plus…he’d probably find out. I’m sure he counts all of his medications. Don’t know why…since I have never snatched anyone’s meds. Hm…maybe Aer is secretly a pill popper?”

The half-demon shook his head and couldn’t contain the small smile that graced his pale lips. He fished out his phone, looking at the time and sighed. “You know…this was supposed to be…a _date_ …”

“It was a really, really good date. The best I’ve ever had. No other date can ever compare,” reassured Sephiroth as he smoothed out the wrinkles in his shirt and adjusted his pants. Many disliked the feeling of sore muscles, but he always reveled in it. The ache of his muscles was a good ache that always made him feel both accomplished and satisfied. Even the soreness of his nether regions was welcomed though he knew he’d have to sit very carefully for the rest of the day.

“I was supposed to be a gentleman,” reminded Vincent as his eyes slid down to openly appreciate the way those black jeans clung to strong thighs and a great, luscious ass. He tore his crimson eyes away when he felt his dick twitch in interest within the confines of his pants. The last thing he needed right now was to walk around without blood in his brain.

“You were. You were…gentle…and a man…so therefore, you were a gentleman.”

“Clever boy,” quipped Vincent as he strode past his brother towards the room door. He looked over his shoulder at the beautiful young man and gibed, “We should get you home before you miss curfew. Wouldn’t want to get _spanked_ , now would you?”

“Only by you,” silkily countered Sephiroth as he brushed past his big brother after smacking Vincent on the ass. He was just barely able to make it out the door without getting his sore ass smacked in return.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

After dinner, Sephiroth spent the rest of the night in the living room on the couch sandwiched between his sister and half-brother watching some movie he was barely paying any attention to. Aerith is curled up on her side with her head in his lap watching the movie with rapt attention. This was something she used to do when they had been just kids. She made a pleased sound when he had undone her braid bit by bit until her long, cinnamon brown hair was spread out. He threaded his fingers through her hair, barely meeting any resistance as he gingerly combs out her hair with his fingers. Playing with each other’s hair was something they had also done a lot when they had been younger. There had even been a few times he had reluctantly allowed his sister to dress him up and put makeup on him. It’s funny to him now how back then dressing up as a woman didn’t bother him as much as it had as a kid. Well, the cosmetics part didn’t bother him too much. He wouldn’t say he was too keen on slipping into a dress or corset and wearing those evil ankle breakers women seemed to love wearing. He had done it a few times for Halloween or a stupid party with his friends, but it wasn’t nothing that particularly aroused him in any way.

Aerith eased herself onto her back and turned her head to look up at her green-eyed brother. “Seph?”

“Hm?” Hummed Sephiroth, his eyes half-hooded. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Vincent seemed to be struggling with staying awake, too. This caused him to smirk a little since it’s partially his fault why they’re both so exhausted in the first place.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” Asked his sister as she reached up and poked him in the cheek.

Sephiroth peered down suspiciously at his sister after he had swatted her offending hand away. “Nothing yet. _Why_?”

“Oh, well, Zack is coming over tomorrow with Cloud and Angeal. Should I tell him you’ll be here or out on another… _date_?” Innocently asked the green-eyed girl.

The silver-haired boy said nothing as he glared down at his audacious sister. Vincent looked away, coughing to hide his bark of laughter, which earned him a rough, yet harmless jab in the ribs by his fuming brother.

Aerith pokes her second oldest brother in the cheek again. “Relax, Seph. Mom doesn’t know anything…but she is suspicious. She knows something is up, that’s for sure, but she doesn’t know what…yet. Which reminds me…Vince is only here for a couple more days. Right Vince? Or are you staying longer?”

“I leave Saturday early in the morning,” confirmed the dark-haired man, a hint of a smile on his face while he watched his siblings interact.

Aerith clarified, “Today is Wednesday…”

“Is it?” Faintly asked Sephiroth while he tried to remember the day’s actual date. The days had gone by in what seemed like a wild blur of moments, both slow and fast at the same time.

The brunette sighed in exasperation as she quickly sat up and faced him. She glanced momentarily at Vincent, a sad look tinged in her pretty eyes, before she returned her attention back to Sephiroth. “Yes…so I want to know, what are you going to **do** when he _leaves_?”

“I will build a [_Widow's Walk_](http://www.texasescapes.com/TexasGulfCoastTowns/BaysideTexas/BaysideTexasJohnHWoodHouseWidowsWalk507KRudine.jpg)and stand upon it, weeping as I wait countless days and nights for him to return to me,” sarcastically spat out the male half-Cetra, crossing his arms and leaning back into the couch.

“Be serious for a moment, Seph!” Admonished Aerith with a glare that almost rivaled her stubborn brother’s own glare. In an instant, the heat was gone and replaced by sympathy. In a gentler voice, she repeated, “What are you going to do when he leaves?”

“It’s not like we can’t visit each other,” snorted the silver-haired man, rolling his eyes.

Aerith sighed again, shaking her head. “I know you, Seph. You will be _very_ upset when he leaves. You can’t even sleep apart from him without throwing a fit. I don’t know exactly what you guys feel for each other…but I can see that it’s serious, which makes me worry about your well-being. The Angeal thing was bad, but _this_ …this may be worse for you. I don’t like seeing you depressed and you will be. So…what will you do?”

“I will be fine, he will be fine, we all…will be fine,” assured the silver-haired boy, patting his sister on top of her head as if she were a small child. It was the truth and yet it was also a lie. His jaw clenched hard as he inwardly fought with the guilt that boiled inside of him. He was not a liar and found it difficult to lie, especially to people he loved.

“Seph, that’s not—“ Started the brunette girl before she was cut off by the sound of her oldest brother’s voice.

“—He’s coming with me when I leave,” interrupted Vincent in a quiet tone of voice.

In a way that was nearly comical and slightly reminded Sephiroth of Zack, Aerith’s jaw dropped open. Her emerald eyes were wide in shock as she glanced at each of her brother’s in disbelief. When she finally found her voice, she turned to Vincent and loudly stammered, “W-what do y-you mean he’s going with you?!”

Sephiroth felt shock at Vincent’s words, too, but for different reasons. He was not angry, just surprised that the older man had finally decided to shoulder some of the decisions. As sweet and endearing as it felt for Vincent to relinquish most of the control to Sephiroth, he felt frustrated by it because he felt a relationship should be more or less on equal ground. He hoped this meant that now Vincent would be more vocal when it came to what he wanted or needed. Over time, he was certain they’d work out all the kinks in their relatively still brand spanking new relationship.

When the initial shock wore off, Sephiroth is quick to clamp a hand over Aerith’s mouth. In a low voice, he warned, “Be quiet…I don’t want the old people to hear. What he says is true and yes, I have thought about it, and the more I think about it, the more I feel it is the right thing to do. If I end up regretting it later, which I know I won’t, then that’s on me. I am not a kid anymore and it’s time I make my own decisions concerning my life.”

“But what about school?” Aerith asked softly after her brother had removed his hand from her mouth.

“He will still go to school. The only thing that’s changing is his _residence_ ,” guaranteed the dark-haired brother. “I don’t live that far away, Aerith. It’s only around a three-hour drive from here, depending on traffic. He will still be able to visit you whenever he has school breaks…”

“But I’ll be living in some stupid cramped dorm when I’m going to school,” complained Sephiroth since he was at a loss on how to split his free time between his lover, friends, _and_ family. Suddenly the very idea of school repelled him in such a way that he now dreaded going. Not that he had been particularly excited about attending college, since to him it was just an even more expensive version of school. He despised school, always had; however, the mere notion of leaving home, of developing his own life had been the true appeal.

Vincent smiled, no doubt amused by Sephiroth’s inner child presenting himself. “I already checked, Sephiroth. Your college is four hours away from _here_ , but from my house, it is only around an hour, or forty-five minutes depending on traffic and the route, of course. If you don’t mind wasting two hours a day in travel by car, then you are free to stay with me. If you wish to live in a small room with a perfect stranger, feel free to live in the dorm. The choice is yours, naturally. No pressure.”

Like a puppy on a new, bacon-scented chew toy, Sephiroth excitedly pounced on the half-demon. Clinging to him, he was nearly sitting in the older man’s lap and didn’t seem to notice the blanched look on his sister’s face. “Really?”

“Yes, Sephiroth. I planned most of this out _before_ this visit,” revealed Vincent as he gently eased his brother back down beside him so that he was no longer nearly straddling him in front of their uncomfortable sister. He didn’t have the heart to untangle Sephiroth’s arms from his body, so he continued to allow the other male to cling to him.

Aerith watched them carefully now that she was no longer bothered by the sight of her brothers together. At first, it made her feel awkward, but now, the more she watched them, the less weird it became. Tilting her head back a bit, she questioned, “You planned…to take Seph with you before you even came down to see us? _This_ is why you came after years of your absence?”

Vincent simply admitted, “Yes.”

“May I ask _why_?” Inquired the petite girl, crossing her arms and glaring at Vincent in such a way it caused her to resemble Sephiroth.

“Because I love him, and always have. I don’t expect you or anyone else to understand this, or even to accept it. I love this family, but I love him more. I have denied it for many years now, and I am tired of it. I’m taking him back with me whether you like it or not. I’m taking him with me because…I want a life with him,” calmly explained the raven-haired man and though he was talking to Aerith, his eyes never left the sharp green eyes that seemed to mirror exactly what he was feeling.

“That’s…that’s…” Trailed off Aerith as if she were searching for the right words and wouldn’t dare speak them until they were found. In the next instant, her face brightened considerably as she cried out, “That’s _romantic_!”

Sephiroth groaned while he turned away from his gushing sister to hide his flushed face in the older man’s chest. That heady scent instantly eased away any ill feelings and instead seemed to lull him into a relaxed, almost catatonic state. Still clinging to the dark-haired male, he nuzzled his face into the other man’s chest in spite of the annoying barrier that sheltered his skin. He no longer bore any interest in whatever conversation was going on and instead focused on that wonderful scent and the steady echo of a heart pumping blood.

The demon hunter could barely contain the yawn that threatened to expose itself. He sighed when he realized the half-angel was already passed out against him. If he weren’t so exhausted himself then he’d be more than content to let the angel sleep against him undisturbed for a time. Grinding back a yawn, he said, “If you would like to discuss this _later_ , say tomorrow, that is fine. Tomorrow…we have an appointment, but we should be back by mid-afternoon. I’m sure he’ll be up for spending time with you and his friends then…”

Aerith smiled gently and laughed, “Sounds fine to me. Zack and the other idiots don’t seem to wake up until noon, anyway. And I’ll hold you to that future talk, Vince. I’m nowhere close to being done with either of you hopeless idiots just yet…”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Sephiroth woke up to the feeling of being gently shaken and a bright, unwelcome light blinding him. Eyes blinking open blearily, he sat up slowly while he rubbed his face. Once his eyes were focused, he glanced around until he spotted his half-brother sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed in strange red and black clothes.  In his half-awake state, he was sorely tempted to just fall back against the bed and doze for a few minutes, but refrained from doing so. Vincent never woke him up unless it was deemed important or asked of him by Ifalna or someone else. With that in mind, he smacked his hand around on the bed until it connected with the hard body of his cell phone. Snatching the phone, he looked at the time and groaned, “Vin, it’s…5:01 in the morning. Why are you even up? You should come back to bed…”

“I would love to, but we have an appointment to keep. I was going to tell you about it yesterday, but ahem…I was sort of _distracted_ by a naughty boy,” answered Vincent with his usual barely there smile on pale lips.

Not able to contain his smirk, the half-Cetra asked, “All right, you _ass_ , what’s so important that I must sacrifice my beauty sleep?”

“Reeve requested to meet you today. You don’t have to go if you don’t want to, but I was also thinking about bringing you to the training grounds to begin learning some proper defense. If you don’t meet him, he won’t allow you at the W.R.O. building. No pressure, but the appointment is in a few hours and it’s a little over a two-hour drive…”

“What kind of psychopath wants to meet me at _eight_ in the morning?” Grunts the eighteen-year-old male as he fell back into the bed. He threw his arms over his face to shield his sensitive eyes from the pesky, artificial light that drowned the recently darkened room. 

“He’s a good man. Eccentric, yes, but he is no psychopath. Now get up and get dressed or you’re going in what you’re wearing now. You have five minutes,” ordered Vincent as he rose from the bed.

“I’m naked, though…”

“Exactly.”

Sephiroth rolled onto his stomach and stubbornly buried his face in the pillow. His muffled voice says, “Fine by me.”

Amused, yet slightly frustrated by his lover’s childishness, the dark Cetra leaned over the bed, his long dark hair spilling over his shoulder. The silky, unruly strands tickled Sephiroth’s bare back as he lowered his mouth just a hairsbreadth away from the boy’s ear. He purred darkly, “If you don’t get your ass out of bed right now, you won’t be getting the surprise I have for you tonight…”

Like a miracle, Sephiroth sprung out of the bed once his brain registered the implication behind the older man’s words. He didn’t know what the surprise was, but he suspected it was of a sexual nature and that wasn’t something he was going to pass up. He immediately snatched the neatly folded clothes laid at the end of the bed and dressed as quickly as humanely possible. Once he was dressed, he turned to look at the chuckling half-demon. Since he was more awake now, he took a moment to study the strange attire his brother wore. It was red and black like his usual theme, but it was…like something out of vampire novel, yet oddly familiar. Something about the outfit, probably the crimson, tattered cape-like jacket, seemed to scream vampire to him. In his mind’s eye, images of anime characters like Vash the Stampede from Trigun and Alucard from Hellsing flashed, which was probably why he felt Vincent’s outfit was familiar in a way. It didn’t exactly look like the anime characters since there was a fair amount of black and a different style to it, but it did remind him of them. He also noticed the straps that adorned the front part of the half-coat, part of his black, leather pants, and his arms. Another thing he zeroed in on were the golden, metal-looking pointed boots and the claw that adorned Vincent’s left arm. All in all, his brother looked pretty bad ass and if they didn’t have to leave in a few minutes, he would have thrown himself at the sexy demon hybrid.

“Goddamn, you’re hot,” breathed Sephiroth. He shook his head vigorously to try and dispel the myriad of mature-rated images that had just stormed through his mind like a hurricane. “What’s with the outfit? Is it cosplay or something? It looks really cool, but why are you wearing it?”

“You could say that…it’s my work uniform.”

“Don’t people stare at you?”

The crimson-eyed demon hunter shrugged as if such a thing were trivial and didn’t concern him. “They stare at me regardless of what I wear; however, my job normally is the… _graveyard_ shift, more or less.”

“I see,” Said the silver-haired boy as he drew near to reach out and touch the red coat. He fingered the high collar that seemed to shield the older man’s mouth from view, tracing each belt-like strap as if it fascinated him. His pupils enlarged significantly, which betrayed just where his thoughts had led to. “Before we go, I just want to say…someday, preferably soon, I would love for you to fuck me while wearing this…uniform of yours.”

Vincent didn’t visibly react to his half-brother’s words, but the slight husk in his voice was proof enough that such a fantasy affected him in a good way. “We’ll see. Let’s get going before I take you up on _that_ …”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

On the way, they had visited a drive thru at the closest coffee shop for some coffee. Vincent had also once again handed Sephiroth that thermos filled with the so-called nutrients his kind required. He wouldn’t allow his brother to have a single drop of coffee until he had finished his ‘food’.

“How often do I have to drink this?” Griped Sephiroth after quickly downing the strange concoction. As soon as his coffee was handed to him, he immediately drank half the of it even though it slightly burned his tongue.

“Once every couple of days or so is fine,” answered Vincent, the corners of his lips lifting a bit in an almost smile. Unlike his lover, he gradually sips from his own coffee.

“I don’t know how you can drink _black_ coffee. It’s so disgusting without cream, sugar or some type of sweetener…”

“I like the flavor of coffee. Sugar and cream dilutes the flavor, and depending on how much is used, it often masks it completely,” explained the raven-haired man patiently.

Sephiroth shook his head fondly as he lapsed into a comfortable silence and didn’t even feel the need to put the radio on. All that overplayed shit on the radio that some tried to label as music only served to induce headaches. Sometimes, _sometimes_ a decent song would come on, but that in itself was a rare occurrence. It was such a shame knowing there was so much music available out there yet the radio stations normally chose to play the same five songs on repeat. Hearing the same song talking about booty butt cheeks every five or ten minutes felt akin to the sensation of Q-Tips being shoved violently into both of his ear canals.

“You know, I can drive sometimes, too. You don’t have to do all the driving,” Said Sephiroth after an hour of silence had passed between them. He didn’t really mind silence and in fact enjoyed large amounts of it. The green-eyed boy was the type of person that normally only talked if he had something to say and talked more if he was around someone of a like mind. Vincent seemed to be the same way, and that only made him more enjoyable to talk to. He wasn’t expected to arrange topics, to fill the silence with pointless chatter, or to be someone’s personal entertainment system. Unlike most of his friends and family, Vincent could partake in an intelligent conversation without resorting to small talk or low brow humor. He never tried to flatter, impress, or even delude others into thinking he was something he wasn’t. And like Sephiroth, if he said something, he didn’t try to sugarcoat it, so at times he came off as cold and abrasive to others. Despite this, it was obvious that though Vincent could tell it like it is with a sort of bluntness that made some people cringe, he often held back. In other words, he designated to tell the truth _if_ it was required and refrained from being an asshole.  That also meant, of course, that sometimes he could be cryptic when he talked, which could be frustrating at times. If it was something he believed served no purpose being said, he abstained from uttering it. Because the older man was indeed very intelligent and had a wealth of knowledge, it was always invigorating to talk to him. Not to mention he had his own sense of humor and didn’t seem to mind Sephiroth’s dry, dark humor or his teasing.

“I thought you liked it when I _drive_ ,” Said Vincent with some heavily implied innuendo attached.

Caught off guard by that, Sephiroth was lost for words. If Vincent weren’t operating a death machine right now, he probably would have shoved him. Eventually he recovered enough to retort, “Oh, yeah, I love that…no doubt about that. You can drive into my garage all day long, but that’s now what I meant. I meant…well, you don’t always have to drive. I may be young, but I have been driving for at least three years and unlike what Zachary says, I do not drive like a lunatic…”

“I will keep that in mind,” Said Vincent, revealing a half-smirk at his brother’s offer.

Sephiroth opened the vanity mirror in the sun visor, adjusting it so that he could see his neck. His left hand gingerly prodded at his own neck and he frowned when all he found was clear, unblemished skin.

“What’s wrong?” Inquired Vincent when he noticed that his younger lover seemed unsettled by something.

“I could have sworn that you bit my neck yesterday when we were, _you know_ …and I also remember you drinking my blood, but there’s no wound. I must have imagined it…”

“I did, yes. I apologize for that. It was not my intention to harm you and I promise it will never happen again,” apologized Vincent without taking his eyes off the road. Sephiroth didn’t have to look into his eyes to spot the telltale signs of guilt, regret, self-hate, and anger displayed through his body language. It hadn’t taken long for him to catch on to all the subtle looks and movements Vincent exhibited whenever he hurt or thought he had hurt Sephiroth in some way.

“No…I didn’t mind then and I don’t mind now. I…liked it, actually. I wouldn’t mind you doing it again, and even biting me in _other_ places. Is that a strange thing to like?

The hunter didn’t seem that convinced, but nevertheless answered, “To me, it is natural. But to others, yes, it is seen as a strange thing.”

“You and I aren’t exactly normal people, now are we,” pointed out Sephiroth, his green eyes trailing over the form of his lover appreciatively.

Vincent’s right hand moves from the clutch to rest passively on Sephiroth’s thigh, just above the knee. Squeezing said thigh, he quietly agrees, “No, we are not…”

A glance at the vanity snapped Sephiroth’s attention back to his earlier statement about there being no wound on his neck. Touching the place he remembered being bitten the night before, he queried, “I know you have some sort of healing ability. Is it just your mouth, or is it your hands also? How does that work? I mean, even if you healed the bite, shouldn’t there still be a scar?”

“Apparently one of my abilities is to heal, and I can do so with the touch of my hands or with my mouth. Using my hands requires greater mental focus whereas using my mouth just requires _saliva_.  Since your Cetra side was contained all of your life, until recently, it is hard to say what your abilities will be. I don’t think it will take long for them to reveal themselves, so be patient,” explained the older man. He paused in his explanation for a moment as if to gather more thoughts or to allow his words to be processed, or possibly even both. “Our physiology enables us to heal quicker compared to normal humans, and because of this, we don’t tend to scar unless something interferes with the healing process. The only scar I have seen on your body is the one that demon gave you. I have noticed an increase in your strength, stamina, and speed, as well as your body’s ability to heal itself quickly. Whatever you were meant to be, is gradually happening over time since now there is nothing to hinder it.”

Sephiroth wondered if, like him, the scars on Vincent’s body had been made by another demon. He was almost entirely certain that had to be the case and though he hungered to know more about it, he knew better than to ask. Vincent had made it abundantly clear that he didn’t intend to talk about it for now, and should he ever wish to, Sephiroth would be willing to listen. As tempting as it was to ask, he decided to steer the conversation in another direction for now. Laying his hand over Vincent’s on his thigh, he said, “That makes sense. I guess that means you’re going to be testing that out at the W.R.O. later?”

Vincent sighed, “You are at a disadvantage, Sephiroth. Not only do you not have your abilities honed, or even available, you have no accessible weapons. Through no fault of your own, it is clear that you don’t know how to properly defend yourself. What you do know is suitable defense against humans, but not against… _them_. My sole intention at the W.R.O. is to begin training you _and_ to equip you with a temporary weapon, even if it’s just a handgun or a knife. I think you should carry something until you can ascertain just what type of weapon you feel most comfortable wielding. This may take some time, a year or more even, so be patient, boy. It will all come in due time…”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

W.R.O. headquarters was big enough to surpass the area a Walmart supercenter store and its parking lot usually took. The building was at least ten stories high, making it around one hundred feet high. Even the area surrounding the W.R.O. was devoid of other buildings for several miles though there were some random trees here and there, and a great, expansive wall surrounding the building. Despite the secluded location and the wall, the beige-colored building didn’t look like anything out of the ordinary.

Once they were successfully past the front gate, Sephiroth was able to spot several young people outside training in the grass. Some were training by themselves whereas others were fighting in pairs or in groups. None of the young men and women appeared to have any weapons in hand since they seemed to be focusing on simple hand-to-hand combat. The silver-haired boy recognized some of the fighting techniques displayed here and wondered if his half-brother knew any of these people training.

“Trainees,” Said Vincent when his brother’s gaze swept over him inquisitively. “The real training center is _underground_ , of course. Some people prefer to get some fresh air now and then, so some minor training is approved outside…”

“Underground?”

“Yes, a good portion of the W.R.O. is actually underground. This place is far larger than it looks,” elucidated the dark-haired gunman as he drove his car into a garage that had opened for them. Inside, the ground slanted downwards to a lower level that apparently housed a good number of vehicles. Once parked, Vincent shut the engine off and automatically unlocked the car, sliding out of his seat to stand outside. He locked the car as soon as Sephiroth had opened his door and stepped out. The half-demon’s cold mask slipped back in place as he turned to look at the younger male. Standing in the parking garage of the W.R.O., Vincent seemed to be a completely different person, which wasn’t too surprising since the man was at his work place, after all.

“Stay close to me at all times and don’t wander off. I may be affiliated with these people, but that doesn’t mean I trust them. Not with you.”

“Then why did you bring me here?”

“I told you, Reeve requested your presence. He is a good man and I trust him, though I am certain he has an ulterior motive in wanting to meet you,” answered Vincent as he began leading his brother to an elevator located twenty or so meters away. Once they’re both inside, he pushed the button labeled simply as B-2. The elevator doors slid shut smoothly and then the thing shuddered before it descended down to the lower levels.

“Such as?”

Vincent’s crimson eyes hardened as he stared ahead at the closed elevator doors. His voice was tight as he said, “I fear he may wish to _recruit_ you into the W.R.O….”

“And that would be a bad thing…?” Asked Sephiroth not because he was interested in joining, but because he was interested in the answer being expanded. He recalled how Vincent had admitted to being coerced into joining and didn’t seem particularly fond of his job. Not that he could blame him since hunting down those… _things_ didn’t seem like a favorable career choice for anyone.

“Yes, it would be. Your life is precious, and _this_ …is no life for you. If your mother is responsible for hiding your angel heritage, then I suspect she did so to protect you, to give you a chance at a better life.”

“Seems like that plan backfired on her,” commented Sephiroth as he shook his head. As endearing as his mother’s intentions had been, he felt cheated and lied to. She had lied to him for the same reason he had lied to her: for _love_. He decided then and there that before he left the Faremis household for good, he would have a long talk with his mother. Faremis…that was his last name, his family name. He supposed he could always change it later, if he had to. A warmth spread pleasantly through his chest as butterflies seemed to flutter in his stomach at the thought of taking Vincent’s surname. _Sephiroth Valentine_ …yes, he quite liked the sound of that.

Vincent’s eyes narrow as he glared at his reflection in the steel of the elevator door. He dismally admitted, “Yes… **I** _ruined_ it…”

“The only thing you ruined was my virginity, Vincent. And well, you ruined me for other people, I guess. I don’t honestly know what I will be doing in this life, or even where I’ll be in ten years…but I do know...I want to be where you are, wherever that may be,” declared the half-Cetra, reaching for Vincent’s closest hand, which happened to be the left one, and bringing it to his lips. As he pressed a chaste kiss against the cold metal of the claw, green eyes looked through silver eyelashes to lock onto smoldering red ones. “If I am ruined, I don’t care. I just want to be with you…”  

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“So this is _The_ Sephiroth?” Asked a short-haired, handsome man with styled, dark hair and some neatly trimmed facial hair. His kind, dark eyes regarded Sephiroth in a similar way Tseng had upon meeting him for the first time; it was that of respect, patience, and intrigue. “I suppose this means good looks do run in your family, Valentine. I am almost afraid to know what your _sister_ looks like…”

Although Vincent kept silent and didn’t appear fazed, the slight narrowing of his eyes was enough to indicate he wasn’t amused in the slightest. Rather than being seated in the chair beside Sephiroth, he stood beside his brother like a silent guardian.

“And you are…?” Deadpanned Sephiroth, not too thrilled at the unwarranted mention of his sister. 

The dark-eyed man laughed, “Forgive me for my rudeness. My name is Reeve Tuesti, and it is a pleasure to finally meet you.”

“So we have met each other. Now what?” Asked the half-angel, his arms crossed against his chest.

“I see the resemblance goes deeper than the skin,” remarked Reeve with a wink aimed at the crimson-eyed man. “Thank you for taking the time to come here and meet me. I know it’s the summer and you probably have better things to be doing than entertaining a silly old man.”Although Sephiroth silently agreed with him, he didn’t utter a word; instead, he merely nodded.

“I wish I could say I’ve heard much about you, but that isn’t the case here. Valentine hasn’t told me much about you, but he did mention he wished to train you. With your permission, I would like to observe the training sessions,” Said Reeve, who didn’t seem the least bit fazed by the taciturnity Sephiroth seemed to mirror from his older brother.  

Sephiroth shrugged nonchalantly. “Well, you do own the place. I can’t stop you from watching.”

“Sure you can. Even I am not permitted to watch unless granted permission. For safety purposes, we do have cameras installed in most rooms, especially the training ones. I don’t have much spare time, but when I do have time, I do like to oversee the trainees here. Not that you are one, a trainee, I mean. It’s sort of a hobby of mine to see from start to finish just how much improvement has occurred among my men. With that being said, I won’t lie, I am interested to see one of your kind, a half-angel, in action. If you’re anything like your brother, which I suspect you are, you will be a force to be reckoned with.”

The half-Cetra sighed, “Fine, but no weirdness. I get enough of that from Zack as it is…”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

For about an hour, in one of the large training rooms provided underground, Vincent instructed Sephiroth on proper and effective hand-to-hand combat techniques. This were meant more for last resort defense in case a weapon was broken, out of range, or unavailable. He seemed pleased by Sephiroth’s reflexes and progress; however, he was more impressed by his little brother’s drive to learn and perfect every single move. Although he was new to this, he moved with confidence and accepted every criticism without complaint.

The next couple of hours were spent teaching Sephiroth how to properly and effectively wield a knife in a fight. Although Vincent preferred using guns, he was proficient with knives and even knew how to use different types of swords. His main goal was to introduce his half-brother to the basics just to get him warmed up. Swordplay was something he planned to introduce to Sephiroth on another day. The way the boy seemed to take to the knives so well made him think his brother may end up preferring melee weapons over ranged. This proved true when later he introduced Sephiroth to a standard handgun. Even though he held the gun correctly and followed all of Vincent’s instructions, he didn’t seem particularly impressed with the gun. He used it just fine and his shots were quick and accurate, but he seemed unmoved.  Despite this, the green-eyed youth didn’t complain or even attempt to move onto something else. The sheer discipline and strive to learn and excel only managed to impress Vincent even more. Not to mention how arousing it felt to have the younger male follow his every order without resistance. If there hadn’t been cameras watching them closely, he might have pounced on Sephiroth at some point.

The silver-haired adolescent was obviously a fast-learning natural when it came to combat and in time, Vincent believed he would surpass even him. The only trick here was achieving this without Sephiroth getting hooked on Reeve’s lure.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“Sephiroth, can I talk to you for a moment?” Quietly asked Cloud, his blue-eyed gaze looking anywhere but at his taller friend. Hearing Zack’s bark of laughter prompted him to add, “…in _private_?”

Slightly inebriated by some alcohol consumption, Sephiroth laughed, “All right. Lead the way, Cloudy…Cloud… _Cloud_. That’s such a weird name…”

“On second thought, maybe this should wait for another day,” said the blond boy with a frown. Even in his slightly intoxicated state, he still noticed that his friend appeared bothered by something.

“No, no, I’m fine. Let’s talk now. I’m just buzzed…”

“Oh, okay then. We’ll go to your room,” sighed Cloud, glancing momentarily at his friends playing some stupid game involving liquor. Shaking his head, he left the room with the intention of getting this over as quickly as possible so he could return to chaperone his idiot friends. He was the designated driver, after all, and had taken it upon himself to make sure none of his friends drank too much or did anything stupid. Besides drinking, that was.

As soon as both Cloud and Sephiroth had entered his room, the blond closed and locked the door behind them. Back to the door, he sagged against it, eyes downcast as he fidgeted nervously with one of his hoodie strings.

“You’re acting weird, Cloud. What’s wrong?” Questioned Sephiroth, immediately sobering up while he warily watched his shorter friend like a hawk.

For the first time that entire night, Cloud lifted his sapphire eyes to look directly into Sephiroth’s eyes with a _knowing_ look. Voice deathly low, he confessed, “I saw you, Seph. I saw you…at Icicle Inn…with your _brother_ …”

 

 

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay for evil cliff hangers. Ya’ll so lucky I update so quickly. <3
> 
> I will admit that though I do believe Vincent and Sephiroth are versatile, or what you’d call, “switches”, I have an obsession, or a kink, you’d say, for Sephiroth being bottom, more specially a power bottom, or what some of you may refer to as uke (although Bottom is the more appropriate term here). It’s why I always write him or read stories about him as the bottom. It’s what I like and if you read my stories and like him that way, then obviously you and I like the same thing. ;) 
> 
> I hope you guys are enjoying. :3


	10. The Death of Innocence

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I recently re-read PROSTHETICS and the first chapter of AESTHETICS. I will probably edit them sometime and stick them on AO3. Let Him In…eventually. Anywho, hope you all enjoy.

“Oh? What of it?” Asked Sephiroth, his tone sharp and deadly like a blade. In his mind, there was no point in denying his blond friend’s accusation. Quite frankly, he was tired of hiding their relationship and felt repulsed by the idea of denying something he wasn’t ashamed of. Although he had fully intended to reveal his new relationship with Vincent to his friends in time, the timing now wasn’t ideal.

Cloud’s eyes widened in surprise, his blond eyebrows stretched towards his forehead as if he had expected his friend to deny it. “What…why…I don’t understand it, Seph. He’s your _brother_. How long has this been going on?”

“I am aware of that, Cloud. Not that it’s any of your business, but we’ve been together for almost a week, and we’re going to _stay_ together. I don’t expect you or anyone to understand how I feel about him…and I can’t say I care. You can feel whatever way about it, but it changes absolutely nothing. If you can’t accept it then I will walk away, I will let you go. Just like that.”

“I thought you hated him?”

“My hate was misplaced,” wearily sighed Sephiroth, his buzz long gone now.

The blond boy shook his head slowly as he tried to wrap his mind around the idea of his friend being sexually involved with his own brother. Half-brother, technically, but still a brother nonetheless. “Why… _him_? Of all people...”

“Why do people do the things they do, Cloud? I don’t know. I just love him and he loves me. He has for a very long time, and I have, too. I just didn’t realize it until recently. It’s not just sex, Cloud. There’s more to it than that. If it were only sex, I wouldn’t risk my family and friend’s disowning me,” explained the silver-haired boy while he began pacing his room.

“I didn’t tell anyone,” Sighed Cloud as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes averted. He looked back up at the older teen with the long, gunmetal colored hair. “Genesis was with me when I saw you, but I didn’t let him see. Gaia only knows what he would have done. Probably would have barged in after you…”

“Thanks for that, at least…”

Cloud gently reached out and braced his hand against his friend’s shoulder to stop his agitated pacing. The normally soft spoken, shy boy stared up at Sephiroth with determination brimming vividly in his blue hues. His voice is firm and unyielding as he stated, “You’re right. I don’t understand and may never, but I’m not going to turn my back on you. Even if what you’re doing turns out to be a mistake, or not, I will be here for you. I can’t speak for Angeal, Zack, or Genesis, but just know I will support you in this. I have a feeling Zack will accept it, but the others…I’m not so sure. I won’t say anything to them, though, or anyone else. It’s not my place to, anyway.”

“Thank you, Cloud,” Spoke Sephiroth as he gazed at his friend with a moved, softened expression. Had Cloud been older and Vincent not in the picture, he might have been tempted to date him at some point. Maybe in another time, another life, he would, but in this life, there was only one man that completed him.

“No problem,” Said the blond adolescent, seating himself on the edge of his friend’s bed. His gaze drifted to the two fish gliding slowly through the water in the aquarium. The motion was relaxing and eased his nerves as he watched the fish swim. Now he understood why Sephiroth was always staring at them, especially after a fight or a stressful day.

“Aerith knows.”

“You told her already?”

“She figured it out,” sighed Sephiroth as he lowered his body to sit down beside the slighter male.

Cloud laughed, “I swear, that girl knows _everything_.”

His green eyes followed Cloud’s gaze and for several minutes, he said nothing. There was nothing more to say so he opted for silence since he had nothing more to add. Eventually he would have to tell them that he was leaving, but for now, he’d let them be happy in their ignorance.

“It feels like you’ve already left us,” confessed Cloud, shaking his head. The blond sighed, “Is that weird?”

“People grow apart…people mature. Well, some people do. Many others just continue to be moronic, immature little twits that favor abandoning reason for stupidity. Don’t be one of those people, Cloud. You’ll regret it when you’re married to a toothless goblin spitting her food everywhere at dinner,” Sephiroth warned with a slow, sideways glance, a trace of a smile on his lips.

The spiky-haired boy coughed, “What makes you think I’m marrying a woman?”

“Cloud, I know you’re bisexual. It’s possible you’ll marry a woman, and if not, and you marry a man, good for you. Makes no difference to me and shouldn’t to anyone else. Just do whatever makes you happy even if your family doesn’t approve. I know how your dad is and he’s a prick. Fuck him.”

“Sorry, I’m not into incest...like some people,” joked Cloud while he tried to keep a poker face, but failed miserably due to his friend’s withering glare.

With a dark, foreboding stare, Sephiroth hissed, “Watch it, _potato_. I will peel you, mash you, and cook you in a pot. Then I will feed you to Zack and you will have the immense pleasure of being inside of him, slowly digesting in his stomach acids before he shits you out…”

Cloud’s face paled. “I…think we should get back to the others now!”

“Wise move, Cloud. Be a good boy now and don’t make me fetch the potato peeler…”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

_A few hours later…_

“I’m tired. I’m going to go to bed. Do you mind if I sleep in your bed, Seph?” Asked the brown-haired girl after pulling her brother away into the hallway. The echo of laughter followed them out as their friends continued playing some silly game in the game room.

Sephiroth drawled, “Why don’t you sleep with Zack in _your_ bed? Mom and dad aren’t home…”

Aerith rolled her eyes. “Right, then I won’t get any sleep because my boyfriend will be too busy pawing at me all night. I’m not…ready for _that_ , yet. When it’s the right time, it won’t be with Zack drunk. Besides, you’re never in your bed anymore, anyway.”

The older sibling shrugged, “I sleep just fine without Vincent pawing at me…”

“Is that before or _after_ you guys boink?”

The silver-haired boy blinked in disbelief. Voice incredulous, he questioned, “Did you really just say _boink_?”

“Are you deflecting?”

“Fine, fine…sleep in my bed,” relented the green-eyed boy, sighing heavily in defeat.

“It’s _after_ , Aerith…and if you must know, Sephiroth is the one usually doing the pawing,” came Vincent’s voice from out of the darkness.

Sephiroth looked around until he spotted his half-brother several feet away, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. The hallway was dark, and barely illuminated by the light that streamed in from the game room. He snorted, “Oh, right, it must have been my own hand pawing me at the dinner table nearly a week ago…and I guess I pinned myself against the wall…”

“I thought as much,” giggled their sister, shooting her youngest brother a smug look before heading in the direction of his bedroom. Either the slight alcohol buzz was diluting her judgement, or maybe she was actually becoming more accustomed to their relationship.

“You’re an ass,” complained the jade-eyed adolescent with no real weight behind it.

“You’ve been drinking,” pointed out Vincent as he drew close now that there were no witnesses in sight. His face was grim and something about his body language indicated that he wasn’t particularly happy about something in particular.

The half-Cetra shrugged, “Only a little. Got a problem with that?”

“Not at all. Just…don’t overdo it,” distractedly said Vincent.

Something had soured his mood and Sephiroth was determined to get to the bottom of it. He was suddenly grateful that he had chosen not to get drunk like the others. “Are you mad because Angeal is here?”

“No.”

“What’s bothering you then?”

“I have to go out for a bit…to take down a couple berserkers. Even though technically this is my vacation time, I am always on call. I have to go now, but I wanted to tell you first. I don’t know when I’ll be getting back, but it should be before dawn.”

“Why can’t they get someone else to do it? Why does it have to be you?” Growled Sephiroth as he jabbed his fingers angrily through his own hair. Whatever high he had been feeling from the alcohol was gone in the wake of his lover’s news. Logically, he knew Vincent had been doing this sort of job for years now and could handle himself, but a huge part of himself didn’t like the idea of the man hunting out in the night on his own. He should have someone watching his back and protecting him just in case something goes wrong. Sephiroth could be wrong, but from what he had been told so far, it was hinted that Vincent worked alone, and he probably did. As much as he wanted to accompany him, to make sure his brother remained safe and uninjured, Sephiroth knew Vincent would never allow it. At least, not now…but maybe later…

“Because no one else can. Some good men already died tonight, Sephiroth. They were not equipped for the job and as a result, it cost them their lives. I am equipped, and I can handle it,” explained Vincent as he cupped the side of the younger man’s face in his right hand. Staring down into worried emerald eyes, he promised, “I will come back…”

“You better,” sighed Sephiroth, resting his forehead against the older man’s. The corners of his lips curled upwards into a sardonic smile. “Now I know how all those cop wives feel…”

“And now I know how it feels to come home to someone that worries,” murmured Vincent as he stroked the side of his brother’s face. His fingers lightly skimmed over the contours of the beautiful boy’s face until they stopped over plush, sinful lips. Tilting his head, his hand moves aside so that he can steal a kiss from the angel’s mouth.  “I promised you a surprise. I regret that I can’t be here like I promised, but you can still have _this_ …”

Sephiroth barely registered his words until a medium sized package is handed to him, to which he took gingerly. He looked down at the black wrapped box and lifted an eyebrow, looking back at his half-brother curiously.

“If you don’t like it, I can get you a different one. I thought this one would be…more your style,” explained Vincent, looking a little on the sheepish side now. He motioned towards the box and said, “Go ahead, open it. I can wait a couple minutes until I have to go…”

Fortunately, the box has a lid and doesn’t require any paper to be ripped. Sephiroth simply lifted up the lid and pushed aside the red tissue paper to reveal something leathery and black. Picking it up, he held it up to get a better look and silently thanked Vincent when the man had turned the light on without needing to be prompted to. As he inspected the black leather thing, he notes the straps and the studs on the edges. At first, he thought it was one of those leather wristbands until he had turned it over to reveal the other side, which wasn’t so innocent looking. There’s a set of straps on each side that clasps onto the back of the leather item along with a circular object attached to the back of the leather. If he didn’t know any better, he’d say this was…

Vincent finished his thoughts by confirming, “It’s exactly what you’re thinking…a mouth gag. Specifically, a [leather bondage mouth gag ](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41vi%2Bw9VadL._SY355_.jpg)with a ball attached. It should muffle your screams effectively, or so it has been claimed to. We can try it out once, when you’re ready, and if you like it…”

“I like it, thank you. We’ll try it out _next_ time,” promised the half-angel as he placed it back into the box and closed the top. If his mother saw this, she’d probably have a stroke or something. Honestly, he did like the gift and loved that it was made out of real leather. He had a thing for leather, especially black leather. Not to mention he had some bondage kinks and wondered if he could convince Vincent to tie him up and vice versa.

“Until next time,” agreed Vincent, smiling faintly as he pressed a quick kiss to his lover’s mouth before he turned away. His strides were long and quick as he reluctantly headed towards the door.

“I’m waiting up for you, JerkFace, so you better be careful, but you better hurry your ass home. The sooner you’re back, the sooner we’ll both get some rest,” Sephiroth called out just as the dark-haired man opened the front door. He saw Vincent pause and shake his head before he strode outside, closing the door behind him quietly. As he shut off the hallway light, he whispered, “ _Please come back…please be okay_ …”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

After checking on his friends, who were all passed out and sleeping like the dead, he opened the front door and closed it behind him. His feet dragged his body over to the porch swing, which he sat down on slowly before pushing off the ground. It swung slowly, creaking a bit, but not loudly enough to disturb anyone. He fished out his phone and dialed a number that he had been given that very day. There was a chance Vincent wouldn’t be happy with what he was about to do, but it was his own choice to make.

After a few rings, somewhat familiar, distinctly male voice answered, “ _Reeve here. How may I help you?_ ”

“It’s Sephiroth Faremis.”

“ _Ah, it’s a pleasure to hear back from you. I didn’t think I’d hear from you for quite a while. What can I do for you?”_

At the moment, Sephiroth envisioned smacking Reeve for sounding so pleasant and relaxed as if he hadn’t just sent Vincent out on a hunt. He decided to reign in his agitation and stubbornness for now and to appear amiable himself. He wouldn’t get what he wanted by being abrasive and unfriendly, after all. “Vincent wants me to learn how to defend myself, which is fine…but I also want to learn how to properly fight. I want to be out there with him, watching his back. I want to be good enough to aid him and not be a liability. Realistically, this may take time, and Vincent probably won’t like it, but…I have to do this.”

The line is silent for a minute before Reeve asked, “ _You are saying you wish to join the W.R.O.?”_

“I need to be Vincent’s partner in _every_ way. If that means I have to be out there killing those things, then yes, I intend to join; however, I have conditions of my own. I only want to do this to protect him. I’m not here for anyone else but him.”

“ _He has already expressed to me his opinion on the matter, Sephiroth. I know how he feels, and how you feel, but are you certain about this? It isn’t a game; lives are always at stake in this operation. You could get hurt, or worse, **die**. Are you willing to risk your life?_ ”

“For him, yes. I refuse to sit at home, night after night, worrying myself to death while he’s out there risking his neck! I refuse to stay awake night after night, waiting for a call to hear that he’s okay. I don’t want to get a call… **The** call, telling me that he’s _gone_. Yes, this is personal to me, but it is also rational. We are a lot alike and I believe we’d make a good team, Vincent and I. I may be young, but I am a fast learner. Either way, I will find a way to protect him, with or without your help, Reeve.”

The line is silent again, this time twice as long until the older man answered. “ _Vincent said you’re going to college in a couple months…_ ”

Harnessing his temper, which is about to snap, the half-Cetra gritted out, “Yes or no, Reeve. Don’t worry about that. Even if I don’t go, I can go _later_. College isn’t just for barely legal kids, you know. I know what I am proposing here, and I am serious. This isn’t a whim and I won’t change my mind.”

“ _Very well. Come back with Vincent when you’re both settled in. But know this, he will have to approve this, Sephiroth. You can join the W.R.O. without his consent, but to join him as a partner, you will need his say-so. You have a very persuasive and tenacious way about you…so I’m sure you’ll have no trouble convincing him. Do you understand this?_ ”

Sephiroth’s voice was firm and resolute as he replied, “Perfectly.”

“ _Then welcome aboard, Sephiroth_ …”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

A few hours later, close to 3 A.M., Sephiroth checked his phone for the umpteenth time and found no new messages or anything of the sort. He was sitting in the living room, on the couch with the television on low volume, but paid little attention to it. Every now and then, he’d stand up to pace the room restlessly until he got too dizzy and would sit back down for a while. He had also already bitten his nails down until he drew blood. It was a habit he was trying to break, but at the moment, he failed to care. It was better than popping pills or downing a ridiculous amount of alcohol just to dull his unease.

After putting away his phone, a strange sensation prickled across his skin, causing gooseflesh. Something was wrong, but he couldn’t pinpoint what it was. Standing up slowly, he patted his left side, feeling the hard steel of his weapon holstered underneath his shirt. Vincent had insisted on him carrying some weapon on him at all times, so he did. Reassured that he was adequately armed, he crept as quietly as he could through the silent house, his instincts leading him towards the source of his alarm. He noticed the room to his door is ajar now, which he knew for a fact it hadn’t been last time he had checked. Once he was close enough, he peered inside only for his eyes to widen and breath to catch in his throat. His blood seemed to freeze in his veins as he gawked at a very unwelcome, startling sight.

Leaning over his sister in the dark of the room was what appeared to be a person…with wings like a bat. It looked and sounded like it was sniffing around for something until it suddenly stopped. Its head raised slowly, glowing golden eyes burning straight into him once it had realized his presence. Whatever dread he had been feeling left him like a deep exhale of breath in favor of rage. This thing, whatever it was, dared enter his family’s home…and dared get close to his sister. Fuck that, he was going to kill this thing before it hurt any of them. Grabbing for his gun, he cursed when it slipped from his sweaty hands to clatter loudly against the floor with a thud that seemed to echo.

The noise of the gun dropping woke up his sister, which caused her to jerk up into an upright positon. She sleepily asked, “What’s going on? Is that you, Seph? That better not be you, Zack…”

“Aerith, don’t move. Don’t talk,” ordered Sephiroth, his eyes darting to the gun on the floor and the creature standing with its head tilted. It looked at the girl before focusing back on Sephiroth. Sniffing the air, the thing stilled as if it had realized something significant.

“Get away from my sister, you bastard,” growled Sephiroth. He itched to lunge and grab his gun, but his instincts screamed at him to wait. If he tried to make a dash for his weapon, the thing might attack his sister. He knew he had to distract it, to make it focus on him instead.

“ _I think you mean **bitch**_ ,” hissed the creature, its voice firm, but undoubtedly feminine. It walked around the bed to stand in the middle of the room, barely ten feet away from him. Sniffing the air again, the female, most likely a Dark Cetra, laughed in triumph. “I’ve been trailing _you_ for days, half-Cetra…and now I have found you. If you touch that gun, I will make you watch me tear that girl apart without mercy. Be a good boy and come with me now. Don’t make me hurt you…wait… **what** is that smell…? Why do you smell like that? Like _him_ …?”

“I don’t know who you are, but kindly get out of our home! He’s not going anywhere with you!” Screamed Aerith as she jumped out of the bed with every intention of getting to Sephiroth.

A gust of wind struck the room, great wings flapping in obvious excitement. The female demon leapt into action, now drawn to the movement of the running girl. She was just mere inches from snatching Aerith when an unseen force violently struck the demoness, slamming her hard against the wall. Something cracked, possibly broken or fractured bones, as the Dark-Cetra’s body collided against the wall. Her body crumpled to the ground in an undignified heap, wings jerking as she groaned in pain.

Grabbing his gun, Sephiroth rushed forward and aimed the barrel at the demon’s head, clicking the safety off so she knew that he was serious and knew what he was doing. His voice like steel, the half-angel ground out, “If you move any part of you, I will blow your fucking brains out. I don’t want to kill you, but if you force me to, I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.”

Rubbing at her bare arms, Aerith stood awkwardly as she watched them. “Sephiroth? What is going on?”

“Turn on the light, Aerith…then I want you to go into my closest and find my big green bag. You know, the one with the camping equipment in it. There should be a length of rope or cord in it. Get it and bring it to me,” calmly instructed Sephiroth, his grip firm on his gun as he held it steady. The gun was close enough to shoot accurately, but not close enough for the demon to lash out and smack it away.

As soon as the lights were turned on, Sephiroth felt shocked by the sight of the bleeding demon. It…well, she, looked like a _human_ woman…with demonic wings. Her athletic, yet buxom body was naked and hairless, save for the long, straight black hair on her head. A beautiful face with glowing amber eyes glared spitefully at him while blood dribbled from one corner of her mouth. Something about her eyes were intelligent, controlled, and calculating. This demon was obviously intelligent and wasn’t anything like the berserker he had had the misfortunate of meeting. His instincts warned him to be extra wary of her since she wasn’t an unstable, stupid beast.

“Will this do?” Quickly asked Aerith as she offered him the rope she had found in his green duffel bag.

Without looking away from the glaring demon, Sephiroth reached out with his free hand and blindly felt the rope in Aerith’s hands. He then instructed, “That will do. Now…I want you to hog tie her like you once did to Zack, but much tighter. Don’t worry, She’s smart. _If_ she values her life, she won’t lash out at you. The next time she makes a move, she’ll be slammed against the wall again, but with a bullet in her brain this time…”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Ten minutes later, after the demon was successfully bound and tied to one of the legs of his bed, Sephiroth lowered his gun. He kept it gripped in his hand and ready to shoot, just in case she managed to get free somehow.

“It seems wrong to tie her up like that,” murmured Aerith, feeling some pity for the injured female.

Sephiroth sighed, “It’s either this or I shoot her dead. Take your pick.”

“I suppose you’re right. But...what is she? Those things on her back can’t be real,” inquired the brown-haired girl in disbelief.

“This is your sister, huh? She hasn’t presented, yet, but that will change very soon,” chuckled the female Dark-Cetra, not the least bit deterred even though she’s hog-tied like an animal for slaughter. “You shouldn’t have called her your sister. Now this means I have to take you _both_ …”

“She’s my half-sister, my human father’s daughter. She is no Cetra,” denied Sephiroth while he wore his best poker face, hoping this demon will believe his lie.

“If that is true, and probably isn’t, then she’ll make a very nice snack…or toy. Sorry, I’m still bringing you both in,” said the confident female demon, not sounding the least bit apologetic at all.

Hanging by her brother, Aerith stared at the demoness in complete bafflement. “Seph…what is she talking about? What’s a Cetra?”

“ _I’ll tell you later, Aer. Now is not a good time_ ,” whispered Sephiroth before he directed his furious gaze back to the bound woman. “As for you…who are you and what do you want?”

The demoness sighed, “All you need to know is my mother has a use for you. We’re not going to hurt you, kid, or your sister. Well, that’s a lie. We might hurt your _human_ sister…if she keeps being annoying.”

“Aerith, go to the living room and wait there,” ordered Sephiroth, not particularly liking the intense way the demon was looking at his little sister. When Aerith doesn’t move, he turned towards her and nearly gasped at the sight of the girl bending over, clutching her stomach in pain. Her teeth are gritted as she does her best to ride out the unexpected waves of pain. He watched as she slowly lowered herself to her knees, her body shaking from the agony that assaulted it. Alarmed, he asked, “Aer, what’s wrong?”

“I…don’t feel well. Feels…like…I’m g-get…ing…s-stabbed,” stammered his sister, her words spread apart by the large gulps of breath she’s forced to take. There are unshed tears in her eyes now, threatening to escape to roll down her porcelain cheeks.

Sephiroth gingerly scooped up his younger sister and quickly carried her into the living room. He gently laid her down on the couch and made her comfortable enough before he inspected her. Touching her forehead, he frowned in worry when he felt an obvious fever burning her up. A part of him wondered if maybe this incident had forced Aerith’s Cetra side to show. He remembered not too long ago feeling intense pain and illness himself for several hours. Maybe this was the same thing? Or maybe that bitch did this to her… _shit_.

The half-angel turned away from his sister to run down the hallway and into his room to find his room window wide open, the drapes blowing in the wind. The female Dark Cetra was obviously long gone and had left behind several severed ropes that look as if they’d been singed by something. Cursing loudly, he shut the window, locked it, and bolted from his bedroom to check on his sister. Instant relief surged through him at the sight of his slumbering sister. As pissed as he was that the demon had escaped, he was grateful Aerith was safe with him.

Sephiroth rummaged through the bathroom and kitchen until he found all the necessary supplies to tend to his ill sister. Sitting beside her, he dipped a washcloth into cold water and used it to wipe the sweat off from her face and neck. He dipped it back into the water, squeezed the excess water out and then placed it on her forehead. Grabbing a throw blanket from the side of the couch, he tucked it around her body so she’d stay warm. If she was experiencing what he had went through, then it was likely that she would get cold on and off during the night. If she was afflicted by something that demon did to her somehow, then he didn’t know what would happen to her. He knew if she didn’t improve, he’d have to seek help from someone like Vincent or Nola.

If Aerith was going through what he had went through, then she would get better, but she’d be subject to attack like he was. She wouldn’t be safe; she would be hunted. He hoped this wasn’t the case because she was so young and didn’t know what was going on. She had a boyfriend, friends, and was happy with her life. The girl wasn’t even finished with high school, yet. If she were to become like him, then that would all change. But then again… _this_ could happen at any time, like his brother had claimed. In a way, it was better that it was happening now with them around instead of a later time when they were elsewhere. Still, he couldn’t help mourning the loss of her innocence. Soon she would know everything and everything would be different for her and her family. With this in mind, he fished out his phone and typed up a message to his brother before he sent it. He didn’t wish to alarm him, but he wanted Vincent to come back as soon as possible.

**To JerkFace:**

**From: Sephiroth**

_I hope things are going well. I’m just texting you to tell you we were attacked by one of those things. We had it tied up, but it got away, and I think it did something to Aerith. She’s…not well._

3:44 A.M.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

It’s close to five in the morning when the demon hunter briskly strode into the house, the smell of gunpowder clung to him as he searched for his siblings. Following their scent, he found both Aerith and Sephiroth in the living room. The girl was lying unconscious on the couch with her youngest brother seated on the edge like a watchful guardian. When relieved jade eyes met his own crimson, he felt his chest constrict at the sight.

“How is she doing?” Asked Vincent once he was close enough. He bent over to touch her face and felt that she was burning up. The half-demon frowned at this, not wanting to bear news he knew his brother wouldn’t welcome.

“Her fever isn’t as bad as an hour ago, but she hasn’t woken up once at all. Sometimes she stirs a bit, and mumbles something, but she stays unconscious. Maybe that’s best,” said Sephiroth as he watched his sister’s less than peaceful face. Even unconscious, he could tell that she was suffering. Tearing his gaze away, he looked up at the older man and queried, “Do you know what’s wrong with her? Did that thing…do something to her…or is she…?”

“Before we can determine anything, I need you to tell me everything that happened,”

Sephiroth spent the next ten minutes retelling the event that had occurred not too long ago, sparing no detail. His brother remained silent throughout his story, though it was clear by the expression on his face that he already had questions he intended to ask.

“She…looked so human…” Trailed off the silver-haired adolescent as he shook his head. He reached over and brushed away some of his sister’s damp, cinnamon brown fringe from her closed eyes.

“Those types tend to blend well within human society. They keep their true forms hidden well and can even choose to show some demonic traits instead of them all. I would have to see her to know for sure, but she sounds like a full-fledged Dark-Cetra. There are different types, like that Berserker one you had the misfortune of encountering, and the female demon you met recently. Her kind, what Reeve likes to call Doppelgangers, are the most dangerous kind. They are very cunning and intelligent and can shift their forms to look completely human. They are rare to come across because they hide so well and they are not easy to take down…”

“What does she want with us?”

“Nothing pleasant, I can assure you. She spoke of a… _Mother_ , which may mean she belongs to a type of coven, serving a Matriarch of sorts. Sometimes these Doppelgangers live and operate in groups. I am just relieved you were able to fight her off. I am sorry this happened to you and Aerith—“ Began Vincent before he was cut off by his brother’s sharp tongue.

“—Don’t. Don’t even go there. This isn’t your fault, so stop blaming yourself. If these damned things are everywhere like you all claim, then it would have happened sooner or later. Bad things always happen in life, Vincent…you can’t always stop the bad things and you can’t control what others do or don’t do. You can only control what you do, and how you respond to a situation,” growled Sephiroth after he had jumped to his feet so that they were now face-to-face.

“You’re right, of course,” sighed the dark-haired man, averting his eyes for a moment. When he looked back at the slightly taller man, he revealed, “I was there…when you were going through this. It gives me no pleasure to say this, but she’s been triggered by the demon. There’s no way to stop this and soon she will be just like you are now. I can already smell the change in her scent…”

Sephiroth recalled the feeling of hands on his face during his illness that night. In his delirious state, he had assumed those hands had belonged to his brother. “That…was you?”

“Yes…I stayed with you until the pain passed,” admitted Vincent, a slight blush dusting his pale face.

“Can you help her?” Asked the half-angel, his heart clenching at the knowledge that Vincent had been there to see him through his pain.

Vincent nodded before he slowly sat on the edge of the couch, careful not to disturb the girl as he removed the wet, now warm cloth from her forehead. He gingerly touched her forehead and face, smiling faintly when their sister sighed, her face easing into a more relaxed state.

“Thank you,” said the green-eyed boy as he sat down on the edge of the couch to watch. “That healing ability of yours is very handy…”

“We should keep your…new ability a secret for now, Sephiroth. At least, withhold it from Reeve and the W.R.O. If you trust Miss Diallo, I suppose you could tell her about it…”

Sephiroth smirked a little since he was slightly tickled by his lover’s paranoia. “You don’t trust them very much, do you?”

“I trust the W.R.O. to a certain extent, but I am not naïve to think that they will not _use_ you for their personal agenda. I don’t want them taking advantage of you, or using you as bait. Even people with good intentions can be willing to sacrifice someone or something for their own cause.”

The half-Cetra felt a stab of guilt since he had pretty much already signed himself away to the W.R.O. He knew Vincent would eventually find out, but he couldn’t bring himself to tell him just yet. He’d tackle that particular hurdle when the time came for it. In the meantime, he intended to find a solution to this problem with Aerith. “What do you suggest we do?”

“First things first, we tend to Aerith. Then…when your mother comes home, we need to confront her about everything. If she purposely suppressed your Cetra side, you need to know why, and she needs to know what’s happening to her children. She’s likely going to be very upset, Sephiroth.”

“I know,” sighed the weary teenager.

Vincent patted Sephiroth’s thigh with his claw while he continued to caress their sister’s face with his other hand. “It will be all right. If worse comes to worse, we’ll just bring Aerith with us when we leave. If your mother reacts…badly…then we might have to leave today rather than tomorrow…”

“You’d do that?” Inquired Sephiroth although he didn’t know why he was surprised at such a thing. Sometimes he forgot that Vincent also cared about the rest of their shared family.

The crimson-eyed man smiled, squeezing Sephiroth’s thigh carefully with his claws while he said, “For you, _anything_ …”

 

 ~*~*~*~*~*~

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed. By the way, the Cloud the Potato thing is a private joke and I just had to include it in one of these stories. This chapter may be rough in some areas like TDB. It sure ain’t easy writing and posting two stories, each several thousands of words long, every week. ;)


	11. The Heart Uncaged

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prepare your butts for some angst. Sorry for the delay in updates. It was ridiculously hard to grind out these updates. I think it’s because I write so much and update usually every seven days, which is running me ragged. So, to combat this, and continue updating, I will give myself more time and less stress. I’ll still update, though not as frequently as I have been since I first started UTS and TDB.

The chirping of birds and the feeling of a hand stroking his hair woke Sephiroth from his slumber. Groaning, he buried his face back into his pillow, which happened to be his half-brother’s chest. Inhaling the rich, heady aroma that was undeniably his lover, he trailed his closest hand down until it was nestled between the half-demon’s legs. Before his hand could make contact with his crotch, though, his wrist was seized, which prompted him to snap his eyes open. Now fully awake, he looked up in confusion at his older brother, who stared back down at him in mild amusement. The bastard was probably amused about his little brother’s attempted pawing at him. Sephiroth really couldn’t help himself, though. After all, he was a young man with an active, healthy libido that demanded more attention than it probably deserved. Realistically, sex every day, or even multiple times a day, wouldn’t happen, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t at least _try_. He was exceedingly lucky that Vincent had a formidable sex drive of his own and was usually willing to succumb to him most of the time. This time, however, something was getting in the way of that.

“Our sister…is right behind you, sleeping. I’d rather not fool around with her right there,” murmured Vincent in a voice low enough not to disturb the sleeping girl, yet loud enough for his brother to hear.

“Oh, right…how is she doing?” Questioned Sephiroth, face flushing as he looked over his shoulder at the unconscious girl. He relaxed when he noticed how peaceful her face looked and how even her breathing was. The half-angel also noticed they were all lying in his bed; well, Vincent was sitting against the headboard of the bed with Sephiroth partially lying against him.

“Much better. The worst is over. She just needs to sleep it off…”

Laying his head back on the older man’s chest, Sephiroth huffed, “Did you even sleep at all?”

“Yes, I did. Don’t look so worried, boy. I slept enough,” replied Vincent as he resumed stroking the younger man’s long, gunmetal colored hair.

“They should be back sometime early afternoon,” sighed Sephiroth as he pushed himself up from the raven-haired man’s comfortable form. Scooting to the edge of the bed, he rubbed his face and mumbled, “I guess I could make breakfast for the three of us, oh wait, those idiots are probably still here. Guess I’ll have to make a feast…”

“You would make a good wife,” teased Vincent as he leaned forward to kiss his brother’s neck while he squeezed one cheek of the angel’s well-toned rear.

Sephiroth quickly wriggled out of his gasp, jumping off the bed as he snickered. While he waved an index finger at the crimson-eyed man, he scolded, “Uh uh…not until you put a ring on my finger,” and then pointed at his ring finger to emphasize which digit he had meant. With a smirk, he turned away and walked out of the room. If he had been looking, he would have witnessed the thoughtful, almost troubled expression on Vincent’s face, as if he were genuinely considering something of a serious nature.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“I guess it’s a good thing they chose last night to have their getaway night. It’s been awhile for them, especially with dad always working,” said Sephiroth while he dug through the contents of the fridge, quickly grabbing the items he needed.

“Is he always…so absent like this?” Vincent asked, leaning against the kitchen counter while he watched the silver-haired man flit about the kitchen like a trained chef. It amused him to see a barely legal teenaged boy so…domestic _and_ responsible. Unlike his friends, he had spent the night taking care of his sister instead of getting wasted. Having a couple drinks wasn’t a bad thing in Vincent’s opinion, but he knew a lot of teenagers were stupid when it came to alcohol consumption. It was always fun to drink themselves dead until they ended up doing something incredibly stupid or worse, killing someone else or themselves. Because of this, he was very grateful that his half-brother wasn’t one of those irresponsible youths that regularly got high _and_ wasted. 

“The past few years, yeah. Especially when he’s close to a breakthrough in his research. Mom doesn’t seem to mind, but that’s probably just a front. She doesn’t like to worry us, seems like. I think she forgets that we’re not little kids anymore and that we can handle adult matters,” Sephiroth illuminated while frying up bacon, eggs, and potatoes without burning himself or making too much of a mess. Normally he wasn’t too keen on breakfast foods, but he wanted to cook something simple that didn’t take too long.

“I see,” murmured Vincent, watching the youth’s every movement with avid, non-sexual interest.

After awhile, the half-Cetra looked over his shoulder due to the intense stare that had been burning into his back for over ten minutes. The strange, glazed look on Vincent’s face prompted him to ask, “What?”

The glassy expression disappeared, replaced by his usual calm, focused demeanor. He shrugged, “Nothing…was just thinking I could get used to this…”

Sephiroth raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Me cooking like a wife or being a personal butler?”

“No, I meant, you being around in my house. I don’t expect you to run around playing housewife or anything like that.”

“I don’t mind cooking, Vincent. If I have the time, I’ll do it. And…you may want to tell me what you like to eat,” offered the green-eyed boy while he turned off the stove. He opened the cabinet and grabbed several plates before he set them down on the counter.

“I will keep that in mind,” said Vincent as he cut in front of the younger male and snatched the plates away. He pushed Sephiroth into the dining room and forced him to sit down despite his protests. “Just sit. I’ll serve you. Your friends will get up when they get up. They can always reheat it.”

Before Sephiroth could protest, Vincent was gone in a flash only to return moments later with a serving of food and a glass of orange juice. As soon as he had placed the glass and plate gingerly in front of his brother, he was gone again only to come back with two cups of coffee. The raven-haired male placed the cups down carefully before sitting down next to his significant other.

“Thanks…I’m surprised you’re not making me drink that weird stuff,” said Sephiroth as he chewed some crispy bacon. He wasn’t particularly hungry at the movement, but figured he’d at least attempt to eat a little. Something in the pit of his stomach warned him that today was going to be a rough day and he’d need all the energy he could get. He also didn’t fail to notice that the older man had not fixed himself his own plate of food.

“You can take it whenever you wish. Doesn’t have to be now,” said Vincent before he took a small sip of his black, freshly brewed coffee. He stared at nothing in particular while he patiently waited for the younger male to finish his meal.

After a minute of silently scrutinizing the other man, the adolescent asked, “Aren’t you going to eat anything?”

“I had a piece of bacon. I don’t really require sustenance right now.”

Not buying that answer, the half-angel pressed, “I haven’t seen you eat much, if anything lately. Are you sure you’re okay?”

The hunter’s hands were cradled around the coffee mug as he stared down into its dark depths, steam rising up to waft the strong aroma up into his nostrils. Breathing deeply, he sighed, “I’m fine. Sometimes… blood, like yours, for example…can sustain me for several days. This is not something I try to make a habit.”

“Really? So you drinking my blood isn’t a sex thing?” Questioned Sephiroth, food long forgotten as he stared mesmerized by his brooding brother.

“It’s both,” came Vincent’s curt reply. It was obvious by his stiff body language and his simple, short response that he wasn’t particularly willing to extrapolate on the subject.

Though he was shy two years of being two decades old, Sephiroth knew when to back off. He would drop the subject for now, but would definitely return to it at a later time. The half-angel suspected it had to do with Vincent’s unpleasant past, to which he remembered him promising to tell him about it someday. As long as it wasn’t life or death, he could probably wait awhile just to know more about the man he loved.

 “If you want to stay here, I will understand. Just because you’ve both presented into your true forms doesn’t mean you have to leave here. Protection can be provided for you easily enough. Reeve owes me quite a few favors as it is,” offered the half-demon while his hands gripped the hot mug almost hard enough to shatter it. His eyes were trained on the table as if he were afraid to see the other man’s reaction.

Sephiroth rolled his eyes and growled, “Shut up, I’m going with you…wherever that may be. I see what you’re trying to do, and that’s sweet of you, but a little misguided. I have made my decision…unless you have changed your mind? Do you want me to stay here?”

“I have not changed my mind,” quickly said Vincent, finally turning his head to look at the adolescent boy seated beside him. “I just want you to know that there are other options…that you are not stuck with me…”

The silver-haired male snorted as he picked up his own cup of coffee and from the look and smell, he could tell that Vincent had made it just the way he liked it. Staring at the caramel colored liquid, he said, “When I was asleep earlier…I had a really surreal, yet realistic dream about us, only…I was at least ten years older, and we were still together. You were still insufferable as always, trying to be a gentleman and I was still a stubborn brat. Actually, I think I was twice as headstrong compared to how I am now…and I had a really cool sword. The point is, in my dream, we were still together after _years_. It may just be a dream, but I want that dream to come true. I intend to make it come true…but to do that, I will need you.”

Vincent coughed, turning his face away to hide the pink tinge that stained his pale cheeks. Once he was composed enough, he looked back at his little brother and suggested, “You should go pack now. Pack whatever you need and we can come get the rest later. I do not imagine confronting your mother will go very well today.”

“Sounds like a plan to me. While I’m doing that, can you wake up the rejects? I’d rather they not be here when the parents come home today.”

Vincent nodded, but before he could rise to fulfil said task, a spiky-haired boy staggered into the room like the undead.  “I smell _food_ ,” groaned Zack as he stumbled into the dining room, his face bleary and spiky black hair an outrageous mess. Half his face was imprinted red, which meant he had been sleeping on it, most likely on the floor or something.

“If you want to eat, you have to earn it. Go wake up the others,” ordered Sephiroth as he quickly rose to block the entrance to the kitchen. Arms crossed, he stared at his friend’s puppy dog eyes, clearly unmoved by the younger boy’s silent begging. “ **Now** …or I’m throwing _everything_ out.”

Zack pouted, but ultimately relented in favor of the sweet, savory aroma that lingered tantalizingly in the air. “Okay, okay, but if you hear screaming, you better come help me, Seph…”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Once inside of his room, Sephiroth checked on Aerith’s condition and was relieved to find that she was still sleeping peacefully. Doing his best to keep quiet, he rummaged through his closet for a couple of suitcases and a duffel bag. When he had somehow successfully dragged them out without waking his sister, he headed back into his closest to hunt through his clothes.  Realistically speaking, he knew he should only pack what was needed, like clothes and shoes. As he gingerly pulled clothes off of hangers, he felt a sharp stab of wistfulness. Like that moment in the inn room, this felt starkly real. This was it…there was no going back now. His days of being a child, his parents’ son, were over now. This room, which had been his for over eighteen years now, was no longer his. There were too many memories in his head that revolved in this room and in this house. A part of him didn’t want to leave, to let go of something that he had grown accustomed to living with. If he had hated these people and had terrible memories, then this would have been easier to deal with. But no, his life had been good, happy even, and his family and friends were good people. Leaving them behind would take strength he didn’t know he had. The same strength in him now that propelled him forward to keep packing his clothes without bawling his eyes out. His eyes felt hot and wet, but he still refused to cry.

Deep down, he knew it wasn’t just leaving his friends and family that pulled at his heartstrings. Leaving symbolized an end to his childhood, to his old life. Had he just been going away to college, he could always come home and pretend for awhile that things weren’t that different. Leaving with Vincent to live with him meant that everything would change, that he probably couldn’t come back home and pretend everything was the same. And if things between his parents and him ended badly, then that was it. He would never be able to come back home, even if just for a visit.

Sephiroth was a man now, which meant he shouldered more responsibility and was expected to make all of the hard, tough decisions in his own life. This was his choice to make and he had made it all on his own. Because of this, he had to stand by his choice no matter what old memories and phantoms forced him to feel.

He had mistakenly believed that he would feel this nostalgia _after_ he had left home with Vincent for good. Oh, how wrong he had been. He felt it now as he rummaged through his closet and his drawers, fishing out clothes, folding them, and packing them in the suitcases. His eyes were forced to rove over old, sentimental things, which had him remembering the stories behind these belongings. He picked up an old, ragged stuffed animal that was supposed to resemble a yellow bird. It was ugly as hell, but it had been a gift from Aerith when she had been four years old. Gaia, he hated the thing and always had, yet…he was attached to the ugly, worthless thing. Throwing it away had always been an option, but not for him. This toy meant something to him because it was Aerith who had given it to him. She had given it to him saying the bird would protect him from monsters and if he needed to get away, the bird would take him up high in the sky. He had scoffed at the time, but had secretly slept with it for years until he got too old and stashed it in his closet.

The half-angel glanced around making sure the coast was clear before he shoved the beat up bird toy into one of his bags. Logically, he didn’t need it anymore and didn’t use it; however, it was a memento from his childhood and he couldn’t bring himself to throw it away like he had all his other toys. Rationally he knew it was okay to keep a few personal things even if they didn’t have a practical use. At least, that was what his mother always insisted after showing him a few of her own childhood mementos.

“Seph?” Sleepily mumbled Aerith, who was now sitting up in the bed rubbing at her eyes. Blinking her eyes several times, she focused her attention on her big brother. “Are you…packing?”

“Yeah,” said Sephiroth, dropping a handful of clothes on top of his open duffel bag. He reached under his bed and grabbed a bottle of unopened water. Handing it over to his obviously parched sister, he watched her with concerned eyes. “How are you feeling?”

Aerith gratefully accepted the water and drank half of it before she answered, “Weak, but not as bad as last night…wait, what happened? Was…it all a bad dream?”

“I wish I could say yes. The bitch got away,” Sephiroth sighed regretfully.

Innocent green eyes widened, filled to the brim with both confusion and disbelief. “What? Why was there a naked woman in your room? She had…wings. Those must have been prosthetics. Is this some kind of sick joke?”

“No, those were real. She’s…” Started Sephiroth before he trailed off. It suddenly occurred to him just how Vincent must have felt trying to explain such a difficult, unbelievable thing to him. Aerith was sweet and kind, but she wasn’t gullible. Like him, she wouldn’t believe something unless she had solid proof. Breathing deeply as he removed his shirt, he then stepped away until he was at a safe distance. Focusing his thoughts, he imagined his wings slowly easing their way out of his back before expanding to their full, impressive length like a bird stretching its wings to intimidate another rival bird.

“Oh my god,” gasped Aerith as her eyes grew impossibly big at the sight of her brother bearing bird-like wings. She stumbled out of the bed, her petite feet inched closer to him until she was near enough to touch a wing. Without asking, she reached out and gently touched a white wing. It flinched before recoiling at her touch, making her step back and gasp again. Guilt stung her when she caught sight of her brother’s averted gaze, looking for all the world like an abandoned pet. Determined now, she stepped forward and carefully touched the other wing, marveling at the warm, realistic feel of the wing. It was like touching the wing of a gigantic, prehistoric bird. Still bewildered, but no longer afraid, she asked, “… _how?_ ”

“You and I are half-breeds. Our mother is a Cetra, what some people refer to as an angel. I’m not entirely certain why, but it seems like she…kept this side of ourselves locked away. I think she did it to protect us from the Dark Cetra, also known as demons. Like that thing that was in my room last night. They’re like us…except…more depraved and violent. For whatever reasons, they hate us and want to destroy us, or use us for something sick,” briefly explained Sephiroth as he picked up the package that Nola had given him a couple of days ago. He had already rifled through it and read most of it, which meant that he was willing to part with it. The older sibling handed it over to Aerith and said, “Here. Read through it. Miss Diallo’s contact information is in there. She’s…like us, and she is a nice woman, you’ll like her, for sure. If you have any questions or need help, you can call her…she won’t mind.”

“I can’t believe this,” said Aerith, shaking her head while she slowly sank down on the edge of the bed. She flipped through the papers, skimming words and staring at various photographs of Cetras, Dark-Cetras, and human-Cetra hybrids. Some of the pictures were of living specimens while most seemed to be deceased. After twenty minutes of studying the information provided and of also staring at her brother’s impressive, unbelievable wings, she commented, “This is just so bizarre. Does…Vince know?”

Sephiroth nodded. “He’s the one who told me about it. He…showed me my true self. Vincent is a half-breed like us, except…he’s half Dark-Cetra. He works as a demon hunter for an organization called the W.R.O. Think of them as the M.I.B. except they hunt down demons, not aliens. I…I admit I didn’t believe him until he showed me his demon form _and_ forced my angel form to emerge. It’s a lot to take in, I know, but I swear to you that it is all true. I wish it wasn’t, but it is. That’s one reason why I have to leave soon…and you, too. It’s not safe here.”

“You want me to leave with you?” Echoed Aerith, her face stricken with both incredulity and hesitancy.

“No, I don’t want you to come with us, but you must. It isn’t safe here. That thing…can come back at any time. Without Vincent around, you won’t be safe.

The brunette shook her head sadly, her eyes shining with unshed tears. “I can’t…go with you, Seph. This is all just so sudden. I can’t leave mom…or dad. They’re already going to be heartbroken when you leave, I know it. I don’t want to be parted from you, but it feels wrong to just leave. I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

Sephiroth’s feathers literally ruffled from the onset of anger and hopelessness that he felt in this no win situation. He was torn between choosing to stay here with his family, or moving out to go live with Vincent. Though he had already made his decision days ago, this new development didn’t sit well with him. He felt tempted to hang back, but the mere thought of being parted from his lover was agonizing. It would have been a bit easier to walk away from his family knowing they were safe enough. But now…they were in danger, namely Aerith. What could he do, though? It’s not like he was trained enough to defend himself or his sister. True, he had managed to fend off that Dark Cetra last night; however, he wasn’t foolish enough to believe he’d be able to catch it off its guard again. It’s not like he could post a guard outside— _wait, that was it!_ He could figure out some arrangement to have someone from the W.R.O., or maybe someone Nola knew, to protect Aerith in his absence. The half-angel was willing to pay for such a service, of course. He wasn’t naïve enough to believe people would be willing to protect his family for free. Or maybe…they would? He didn’t care just as long as Aerith remained alive and safe.

“If that is your decision, then I will respect it… _however_ …if you ever need me, don’t hesitate to call. If you change your mind at some point and want to live with us, you’re welcome to. Even if you’re fifty or something,” offered Sephiroth, shrugging sheepishly. He then realized his wings were still folded behind him, which prompted him to close his eyes and concentrate until they were successfully tucked back into his body. Grabbing his discarded shirt, he threw it back over his head and tugged it down until he was fully clothed once more.

“I’ll keep that in mind, thank you,” promised Aerith as she slipped the paperwork back into the manila package. She focused her green gaze on the cracked, imprint of a body on her brother’s wall, which was further proof that the demon had been here last night and wasn’t just some bad dream.

“Whether you like it or not, I’m going to have someone keep an eye on you…just in case _she_ comes back, or something else attempts to assault you,” sighed Sephiroth as he slowly sat down next to his sister and stared at the ugly cracks on his wall. “I want you to text me every day, and call once a week, just so I know you’re okay. Promise me you’ll do that, Aerith.”

“I promise, Seph.”

“Good, now help me finish packing…”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

It was late in the day, nearly evening when Sephiroth’s parents finally came home. Zack and the others had long since departed for their own respective houses, leaving behind the siblings to wait anxiously in the living room. Aerith and Vincent sat on the couch while Sephiroth paced back and forth like a madman backed into a corner. Every second that dragged by felt like hours and every minute felt like days to the silver-haired youth. While he could be patient when it came to certain things, there were things in his life that riled him up and made him snap from sheer impatience. Truthfully, if he thought about it, it was most likely due to his analytical, rational mind hating his emotions, his feelings…simply because they were not logical and were sometimes difficult to decipher. Intelligent and mature as he was, he often didn’t understand why he felt the way he did, or did some of the things he did. In the past, he usually opted to push away, or bottle up his feelings instead of dealing with them. He really couldn’t blame Angeal, his mother, or even Vincent because really, Sephiroth was the one who chose to lock everything away, lashing out at people instead of directly dealing with it. All three had hurt him to some degree, but it was he who had to face it, to deal with it like a mature adult and to accept the consequences, whatever they may be.

As much as Sephiroth hated confrontation, especially when it involved feelings, he still preferred to get it done and over with so that he wouldn’t have to stew in it longer than was necessary. The half-Cetra tended to overthink things, even obsess over them, which only ended up torturing him. The longer it festered inside of him, the more it scratched at him to get out. He knew now that it was better to get it over with instead of waiting for it to blow up in his face. Though he dreaded confronting his parents, especially his mother, he knew that it had to be done. By doing this, he risked losing them entirely, yet he was prepared for it, and if he lost them, then he was better off not having shitty parents. At least, that’s what he told himself, but he didn’t quite believe it.

“Kids, we’re home!” Called Ifalna as she stepped into the house carrying a few tote bags in both hands. Setting them down on a table, she then called out, “Are you guys home?”

Aerith answered, “We’re in the living room, mom!”

“Did you behave while we were gone?” Asked Gast as he stepped into the living room to greet his children. His smile dropped from his face the moment he noticed just how sullen and downtrodden his children appeared. Something was wrong here, that much he could tell, so he looked over his shoulder and called for his wife.

Ifalna quickly strode into the room and glanced around at everyone, clearly confused by the mood and expressions on everyone’s faces. Her motherly instincts kicked in, causing her to grab her son by his shoulders since he appeared to be the most troubled. “What’s going on, honey? Is everything okay?”

“Mom…we _know_. We know what we are, what you are. What we want to know…is _why_. Why you hid this from us,” answered Sephiroth, his voice like steel and his jade eyes like flames.

Her hands dropped from his shoulders, but she didn’t step away. She searched her son’s face as if desperately trying to find a joke hidden within the crevices. When she found nothing, Ifalna looked away and sighed, “To protect you…from this ugly world…and the monsters within it. There are those out there that would do you harm if they knew what you were. I told you I had made sacrifices, and I don’t regret them. The only thing I regret is my children knowing…but that will be rectified. I can make you forget again, make you safe again. Yes, that’s what I’ll do. It’s not too late…”

Sephiroth stepped back, shaking his head slowly. “No.”

“What do you mean no? Don’t you want to have a normal life? Don’t you want to be safe, and to live?” Asked an exasperated Ifalna, her eyes darting between her children as if she were already losing them.

The silver-haired angel looked at Vincent, his gaze lingered before he looked back at his distressed mother. “We are not normal, mom. I don’t want to forget what I know now and I definitely don’t want to forget what I have. If that means we’re not as safe as we were before, then so be it.”

“Don’t be foolish now, Sephiroth. What about you, Aerith? Do you feel the same?”

“Mom, you always told me not to run away from my problems. You told me not to be afraid to face them head on. But most of all, you taught me to be true to myself. I can’t say I understand everything right now, but…hiding us from the world, isn’t that…the opposite of everything you taught us? I know you mean well, and you want to protect your babies, but we’re not babies anymore. Don’t we have the right to know and to decide what is best for ourselves?” Asked Aerith while she nervously twisted a napkin in her hands.

Gast remained silent as he observed his family without interfering in any way. It’s obvious by his reaction that he had probably always known what his wife and children were.  

Before Ifalna can utter a response, Sephiroth interjected, “Foolish or not, I am leaving tonight.”

“Leaving? What do you mean? School doesn’t start for another two months,” Inquired Gast as he scratched the back of his neck.

Sephiroth nodded. “I know, but that’s not why I’m leaving. I’m leaving…with Vincent. I’m going to live with him.”

“Why? I know you two are getting along again, but why leave now?” Asked Ifalna carefully, her voice verging on becoming sharp. She turned her gaze at the raven-haired hunter, as if she were suspicious of him. “What have you done to my son? What thoughts have you put into his head? He’s…not himself. No, not at all. What have you done?”

The silver-haired boy quickly stepped in front of his mother, effectively blocking her view of his lover. “You really don’t want to know the specifics, mom, trust me. All you need to know is…I love him, and he loves me. He’s done nothing bad to me, so kindly please back off. I’m not a child anymore, I know what I’m doing…and this is the right thing, even if it seems sick and twisted to you. I don’t expect you to understand it, or even accept it. What I do expect you to accept is that I am no longer a child and I can and will make my own choices. I’m leaving tonight whether you like it or not…with Vincent.”

Ifalna was furious now and doesn’t bother hiding just how she felt about it all. “Love him? What do you mean you _love_ him?!”

“Honey, please calm down,” begged Gast as he placed his hands on his wife’s delicate shoulders only for her to shrug them off and round on him angrily.  

“Don’t you tell me to calm down, Gast! How can you stand there so quietly? _Your_ son has been violating **our** baby! They’re brothers, for Gaia’s sake! How can you allow this? It’s wrong…so wrong. Do something!” Shrieked Ifalna, delirious now from her anger, denial, and despair at the unfavorable situation.

“Vincent, let’s go. This isn’t going anywhere,” growled Sephiroth, his anger mounting the longer he stood there listening and watching his hysterical mother. His body was beginning to shake from the unpleasant emotions rolling off of his upset mother. A part of himself wanted to comfort her while the other part wanted to smack her until she snapped out of this shit.

“You leave this house with him and you’re dead to me, do you hear me? If you leave…then you are no longer a part of this family and you will never be welcome in this house ever again,” threatened Ifalna as she glared at Sephiroth through the tears that streamed freely down her face. Her hands were balled into fists as she struggled to free herself from her husband’s restraining arms.

Sephiroth ignored his mother in favor of taking Vincent’s hand in his own, clutching it tightly as they turned and walked away from their family, each step too heavy and not fast enough for his liking. The sooner he was out of his old home, the sooner he could breathe again.

“ **LET GO OF MY SON, DEMON! LET HIM GO! SEPHIROTH, GET BACK HERE, NOW!”** Screamed Ifalna, who thrashed violently in her husband’s arms as if her very life depended on escaping him.

“ _Honey, let them go…let them go, just let them go_ ,” whispered Gast soothingly in an attempt to calm his irate wife down. Looking over his shoulder at his sons, he called out, “She doesn’t mean it, she’s just upset. Don’t take her words to heart, please. I will call you tomorrow, I promise. She will be calm then…”

From her place sitting on the couch, Aerith watched all of this silently with sad, helpless eyes. Once she heard the door slam shut behind her departing brothers, she hung her head and wept.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“She will come around,” promised Vincent as he carded his fingers soothingly through his brother’s hair. His left arm pulled the younger male closer, holding him tightly. While he kissed the crown of Sephiroth’s head, he murmured, “She’s just angry and confused right now. Ifalna just needs time to adjust, and to accept this. She will.”

Sephiroth mumbled, “How do you know that? How can you be so sure?”

“She’s your mother, that’s how I know.”

“And what about your mother? You had a mother, didn’t you? Would she come around and accept it?”

Vincent sighed heavily, a faraway look in his garnet eyes. “Yes…I had a mother...if you can even call her that. She was a vile, selfish woman and I do not miss her.”

“I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to bring her up,” apologized Sephiroth, who suddenly felt like shit for unwittingly bringing up something painful that his half-brother was still hesitant to talk about.

“I know my mother and I know yours. Unlike my mother, your mother is a good woman, and a wonderful mother. Because I know this, I know she doesn’t hate you, can never hate you or abandon you. She loves you and your sister unconditionally. You and Aerith are her babies. Nothing will change that, not even me.”

The half-angel’s body still involuntarily shook from the emotional stress that he still endured. Voice small and barely above a whisper, he asked, “But…what if you’re wrong? What then?”

Vincent sighed deeply, pulling his trembling brother closer to him. Pressing another kiss on the top of Sephiroth’s stubborn head, the gunman insisted, “I’m not wrong, Sephiroth. Not about this…”

Sephiroth nodded slowly, too emotionally exhausted to argue about anything anymore. All he wanted right now was to put as much distance as possible between this house and their house as soon as possible. He wanted to suddenly be at Vincent’s house, well, _their_ house now, he supposed, since he’d be living there, too, now. The silver-haired boy longed to finally fall into Vincent’s bed, dragging him down with him to sleep curled against one another for weeks, away from the world his mother had deemed as ugly. Even if Vincent was wrong about Ifalna and she never came around…well then, at least he still had his brother, his lover, to turn to. Even if he was no longer welcome in his old home, he knew that he still had his new home. As sappy as it sounded, he knew his home was wherever Vincent was, and as long as he had Vincent, he would always be home.

“Let’s go _home_ , Vincent…”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~


	12. Guns & Swords

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning for Rough sex, some Violence, Derogatory Language, Reference to bigotry, Fighting, and this should probably be edited more, but what the hell, here you guys go! Sorry for the long wait and I hope you enjoy. Nothing like some incestuous Vin/Seph to set the new year, eh? :3

 

The sensation of something lightly touching Sephiroth caused the youth to stir before he woke up from his sleep. Instead of addressing whatever was touching him, he rolled over onto his stomach and buried his face in the mattress under his pillow. He heard low chuckling before the covers are completely ripped off from his body. Grumbling, he used his arms to keep the pillow protected over his head just in case the jerk tried to take that too. Eyes still squeezed shut, he attempted to snooze for a bit until he felt fingertips trailing down the expanse of his smooth, bare muscular back, which made him squirm and only served to make his usual morning erection throb even more. Cursing under his breath, the silver-haired adolescent tried his best to ignore the long-fingered hand until it suddenly slipped under the waistband of his pajama bottoms to cup and knead his ass. Hissing, he quickly rolled over and grabbed Vincent’s wrist before yanking him onto the bed with him. He quickly climbed on top of the startled half-demon and pinned him down. Silver hair fell over his shoulders and cascaded down, forming a wall around them both as bright green eyes gazed impishly down at the one who had dared disturb his slumber.

“I was attempting to get you _out_ of bed,” drawled Vincent, a faint smile on his pale lips. He does nothing to fight the hand pinning both of his wrists over his head, nor does he attempt to buck the larger, half-naked body off of him.

Sephiroth’s smirk deepened, verging on looking nearly maniacal. “Too bad. Now you must pay the price for disturbing my sleep…”

“As tempting as that is, we need to go soon since Reeve requested that _we_ meet him in the _morning_. I normally don’t work until nighttime, but today is different.”

“Fuck Reeve,” scoffed Sephiroth, annoyed that that their Sunday was being ruined by Vincent’s boss. Well, their boss, to be more exact. He bit his bottom lip when he suddenly realized that his lover probably still doesn’t know about his little deal with Reeve. When he had called Reeve, he had been serious, still was, but at the time, it had not occurred to him just how Vincent would take it. He knew the older man wanted him to go to college, to make something of himself and not waste his life. Staring down at the other male, he knew he had made the right decision, but he also knew that Vincent wouldn’t like it. He’d probably be furious that Sephiroth had made such a decision, especially without him, and no doubt would result in a fight between them. Or maybe he would be severely disappointed in him and ignore him for as long as he deemed it necessary. The silver-haired boy wasn’t sure which outcome was worse, really. There was always the option to tell Reeve he had changed his mind about the whole thing, but he wasn’t a coward. The half-Cetra was determined to do whatever it took to ensure Vincent’s safety, even if he had to risk pissing his lover off in the process. Knowing what Vincent did for a living, there was no way he could sit at home or in class worrying himself to death wondering if the man was dead or alive. That thought made him have a larger appreciation for the many significant others forced to wait at home every night, or for months at a time, or even _years_ , for their law enforcement or soldier S.O.’s to come home safe. Sometimes  when the men and women did make it home…it was in a coffin or an urn.

As he stared up at the younger man, his crimson eyes burning straight through him, Vincent calmly confessed, “I would rather fuck you.”

“Then do it,” Sephiroth goaded with a roll of his hips, smirking when the older male hissed from the sweet friction. He could clearly feel the prominent bulge in Vincent’s pants, which caused him to shiver from the memory of what it could do to him, what it always did to him. Because he was momentary distracted, he failed to notice the narrowing of ruby eyes and the ghost of a smile before great strength and speed had him knocked flat onto his stomach. The slighter male had him pinned down, his groin grinding against his ass and teeth nipping at the back of his neck. All resistance he might have had before melted away to be replaced by needy moans and his body arching against the body mounted over his own. His green eyes were now darkened due to pupils blown as a result of his arousal. His breathing was somewhat ragged as he panted, clawing at the sheets to gain some sort of leverage. “Fuck me, Vincent…”

The teeth at his neck became soft, sensual lips that burned a trail all over the long, strong expanse of his neck. He couldn’t help the shiver that wracked his body from the deep timbre of his older brother’s voice as it whispered into his ear, hot breath tickling his ear and neck. “ _If I could keep you tied to my bed, our bed, for the rest of our days, I would. I would lock hands with you, and mouths…and stay deep inside you, for all time…_ but,” paused Vincent as he leaned back, he smacked his younger brother on the curve of his delectable ass. “Unfortunately, this is not a romance novel, this is real life…so get your ass out of bed unless you want to walk around with something _vibrating_ in your lovely ass… _all_ day…. **long**.”

Sephiroth huffed into the mattress, but was not that surprised by the turn of events. His tease of a brother thought he was slick, thought he had won, but two could play this game. After all, stubbornness was a trait they both undeniably shared. Feigning a sigh, he rolled onto his back and draped his arm over his eyes to shield them from the light of the sun beginning to stream in through the window of the bedroom. “Go ahead, do it. It’ll probably feel better than your dick anyway…”

Before the silver-haired youth knew it, he had been forcibly yanked closer and his arm pushed away from his face. Crimson eyes glared down at the malachite eyes that seemed to twinkle in both mischief and mirth up at him. Vincent growled, “Don’t tempt me, boy…”

“Then don’t deny me,” countered Sephiroth as he fluidly sat up, jade eyes hooded as his hand reached up and traced his fingertips against the pale cheekbone and jaw that closely resembled his own. It seemed like such a paradox to him that Vincent could resemble him so much, yet at the same time, look nothing like him. Perhaps he did and perhaps he didn’t. It was likely possible he was seeing what he wanted to see, what he expected to see.

Vincent kissed him then, deep and thoroughly, his claw gently cradling the back of the youth’s skull as his human hand cupped the boy’s face. Breaking the kiss, he rested his forehead against the younger man’s forehead and sighed, “I would never deny you…however, I would teach you some patience… _and_ anticipation. If we leave now…and get this over with…I promise to properly ravage you to your heart’s content… _after_ the meeting with Reeve is over.”

“Hm…I find that acceptable…assuming you have coffee prepared?” Asked Sephiroth while he stretched his limbs, peering around the unfamiliar, sparsely decorated room. The room was simple, fulfilled its purpose, yet it lacked personality, it was…empty. Perhaps the room mirrored Vincent himself since it appeared dark and hollow. Noting this and filing it away for later, Sephiroth silently decided to change this. After all, he was here now and his brother was no longer alone, no longer miserable. This was their room now and it would soon reflect them.

The silver-haired boy smiled brightly when a cup of coffee was picked up from the bedside table and offered to him. Nodding his thanks, he held it in both hands and slowly sipped it, grinning when he realized his brother had made it just right, just like last time. Peering over the rim of the mug at the raven-haired man, he said, “You know…you don’t always have to indulge my whims, or pamper me so.”

Vincent slowly nodded, his crimson eyes trained on his half-brother’s curled lips as if fascinated by them. “I know.”

Sephiroth raised an elegant silver eyebrow. “Then why do it?”

“The same reason why I do anything else for you: I enjoy seeing you happy. My intention is to keep you safe…to take care of you.”

Blushing, the silver-haired adolescent grumbled, “I’m not a girl…”

“Of that, I’m aware. The question is, do you like what I do to you, for you?”

“Yeah…”

“Then shut up and drink your coffee, _boy_ ,” ordered Vincent.

“Gonna spank me if I don’t… _daddy_?” Teased Sephiroth, taking another sip as he smirked deviously. The warmth spreading throughout his chest could be from the coffee, or from the feeling his older lover was giving him. Or both. He didn’t rightly care and already felt a touch less grouchy after being woken up so damn early and teased by the infuriating, yet goddamned beautiful dark-haired man.

“No, I’ll just do this instead,” answered the gunman as he swiftly stole the coffee away from his brother and somehow managed not to spill a drop. He bit back a laugh at the devastated look on his young lover’s face. The boy looked like a toddler whose candy had just been swiped by an older kid. Before Sephiroth could bark his outrage, he handed the mug back to grumpy boy. “Get dressed. We’re leaving in fifteen minutes…”

“What, no five course breakfast?” Mocked Sephiroth, who then quickly downed his coffee before it could get stolen again by tricky, thieving fingers.

Looking over his shoulder, Vincent retorted smoothly, “Afraid not. Your wifely duties will just have to wait until _later_.”

“Mhm. I hope you like _burnt_ toast, asshole,” laughed the adolescent as he rose up from the bed to begin dressing in a fresh set of clothes. Since his back was to the older man, Sephiroth didn’t notice the fond smile that graced his pale, beautiful face before he left the room.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“You thought of everything, didn’t you,” accused Sephiroth as he played around with his new phone, setting everything up just the way he liked. He had been thinking about getting a new one and ditching the old one, anyway. The moment he had asked Vincent if they could stop somewhere to grab a new phone, the gunman had unceremoniously dropped a box into his lap. It had been a newer model of the same phone Sephiroth carried around. He had been planning to grab whatever was reliable, and didn’t care, but this was fine, too. Somehow Vincent had known he would want to store the numbers of friends and family without said people being able to contact him.

“I’ve had plenty of time to think,” Vincent admitted without taking his eyes off from the road.

Smirking, the silver-haired young man typed quickly, adding contacts to his phone. He ignored the many missed calls and unread text messages on his old phone. Truthfully, he didn’t have the emotional stability to deal with anyone else right now, especially since he had spent a good portion of the night clinging to his half-brother in their bed. Being exhausted and upset had killed any mood Sephiroth would have normally had to fool around, which was just fine since both of them had been too tired to even eat anything, let alone move. “Your name is still going to be JerkFace on here…”

“You’re terrible. Yours on my phone is _angel_ ,” revealed the raven-haired male, though there was a smidgeon of jest to his voice that suggested he was playing with him.

“I doubt that. Knowing you, I’m probably listed as brat or boy in your contacts…”

Vincent didn’t reply; however, the slow smile creeping onto his face was enough of an answer for Sephiroth.

The half-Cetra glared at his brother with no real heat behind it. Shaking his head, he turned back to his phone and began transferring pictures and videos to the new phone. “I ought to change your name on here to Old Man, Geezer, or Perv…”

“Daddy is just fine,” teased the half-demon as he eased his right hand on top of his lover’s muscled thigh. He did nothing else but keep it mounted there, squeezing it occasionally which was meant to comfort the green-eyed youth.

The rest of the ride to the WRO headquarters was spent in silence, save for the quick tapping of the younger male’s fingers on his phone. Once he was finished retrieving all the information and files he deemed important, he next had his phone deactivated. No one would be able to reach him now, except for Vincent, and that’s exactly what he wanted for the time being. He knew he owed Aerith big time since she had been left behind to deal with the aftermath and no doubt would be relentlessly bugged by his friends.

Once they had arrived at the WRO, and parked, both men stepped out of the car, glad to stretch their long legs. The sound of a motorcycle roared by, which reminded the younger of the brothers about something he had yet to retrieve. Looking at Vincent, he tilted his head and inquired, “It doesn’t have to be today…but…I was wondering if you could help me get my bike sometime. It’s not right that you have to drive me everywhere like I’m a kid…”

“I’m assuming it’s the kind of bike that roars and kills people,” Drawled the crimson-clad man as he began walking, leading his brother past several recruits training outside in the sun.

Sephiroth smirked. “Not yet, it isn’t. I’ve been driving it…since I was 14. Don’t worry, I had a permit and now I have a license. So stop with the sour face already…”

“Very well. Where is it? I don’t recall seeing it at the Faremis residence…”

The silver-haired boy ducked his head, not looking at his lover as he mumbled, “It’s…at Angeal’s house.”

Crimson eyes burned deep into the taller male that walked beside him, not bothering to hide the fact that he was displeased by such an answer. He sighed, “I see. Why…is it at his house exactly?”

“Before…we became a thing, we built and fixed all sorts of stuff together. At first it was just to pass time, but after awhile, it became a serious hobby for us, a challenge. His dad is a mechanic, and was the one who supervised me when I was fourteen, by the way. Where was I? Oh yeah…after we broke up, I sort of left it over at the Hewley residence. It’s mine, I promise. I just want it back now,” patiently explained the silver-haired boy as they walked into the building. He had only been here once before, but he still remembered enough not to completely rely on Vincent’s direction. As irritating as it felt, he did his best to ignore the numerous curious stares directed at them as they walked. With his odd looks, he usually received a lot of blatant gawking, yet something about them staring at Vincent, too, made his teeth grind.

“I see,” was all Vincent said as they slipped into an elevator and headed up to Reeve’s office. He stared straight ahead at the elevator door as it shut, revealing the glossy reflection of himself, to which he ignored. If he had actually focused on it, he might have noticed just how pissed off he looked.

But Sephiroth was having none of that. Though he was much younger, and sometimes had his own childish spats, Vincent was older by several years and sometimes even acted like a child, too. Like right now, for example. In a quick movement, a movement quicker than Sephiroth was used to, he had pushed his brother against the wall of the elevator, his body colliding with Vincent’s. He lined their faces together, staring deep into surprised crimson orbs before he kissed him gently, which contrasted nicely to the force he had used to shove his lover against the wall. Eyes still opened and staring, he spoke against Vincent’s lips. “Stop that. I’m with you, idiot, and that’s where I am staying. He’s just a friend, and I just want my bike back. If you keep acting like that, I’m going to fuck you on this elevator…”

Vincent smiled. “How tempting…”

At that exact moment, the elevator chimed and the doors rolled open and there stood two people waiting, a blond man and a short, dark-haired woman. Both people gawked at the couple for a few moments before the blond whistled while the woman covered her mouth, shrieking as she jumped up and down like a girl meeting her idol in person for the very first time.

“Holy shit, old man. I knew ya had some balls…just didn’t know how big they were,” remarked the blond man with a twisted smile on his stubble-covered face. His hands were still buried in his pockets as if he had all the time in the world. Goggles hung loosely around his neck and were smudged with dirt and oil, from the looks of it. Even his ratty looking coveralls were dirty, worn, and ripped at various places as if he’d worn it for a long time.  “Gettin’ some strange on an elevator at work, now that’s the fuckin’ way to go, man.”

“ _Who_ are these idiots?” Sephiroth asked slowly as he untangled himself from his older lover’s body. He stood partially in front of Vincent as if to shield him from the eyes that shamelessly ogled them both.

“We can hear you!” Griped the woman as she glared at the silver-haired youth. Whatever starry-eyed effect that they had had on her was gone in an instant.

Sephiroth crossed his arms as he bit out sarcastically, “What do you want, a gold star?”

The little woman’s dark eyes glared harder, if that were even possible. “Jerk.”

The blond man remained unaffected by the sour attitudes of the half-angel and the dark-haired woman. With a jerk of his chin aimed at Sephiroth, he looked back to Vincent and curiously asked, “Who’s the looker?”

“We don’t have time for this,” said the gunman, stepping around Sephiroth to block him from the view of the two strangers. He shot the woman a sharp look, which effectively stopped her from continuing to eye-murder his lover. Looking back at the blond man, he next clarified, “We have a meeting with Reeve. It really can’t wait.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, old man! Reeve can wait two goddamned fuckin’ seconds,” groused the blond man as he quickly cut around Vincent to approach Sephiroth. Holding his dirty hand out, he introduced, “Hey, my name is Cid Highwind, and I’m one of the chief engineers that works here at here at the WRO. The little _princess_ over there is Yuffie Highwind, my wife, and mainly teaches martial arts classes to the recruits, though sometimes she does go on missions. She’s…well, don’t mind her…unless she’s near your family jewels. We’re both friends of…well, I’m assuming you’re his main squeeze. Congrats. Ever since he broke up with that woman Lulu or something, everyone’s been trying to jump his bones…”

Sephiroth shot Vincent a sharp, questioning look before Cid’s rough voice drew him back to the blond man. Scratching the back of his head, Cid laughed, “Sorry, bad joke. Not everyone is trying to jump on board that ship, but ya gotta admit, he does get a lot of stares. You probably get stared at a lot, too, I figure. If I weren’t married and had less confidence, my manly pride might feel dented by that. But that’s that. I’m Cid, nice to meet ya. Seifer, right?” Asked the blond before he extended his arm out to shake the younger male’s hand.

Glancing down at the dirty, offered hand, Sephiroth was tempted to let him hang, but ultimately decided against it. After all, he was used to getting his hands dirty messing with cars and other contraptions, too. If these were Vincent’s friends, he would not be rude to them. Well, more than he had been already, anyway. With that in mind, he firmly took Cid’s hand and shook it politely as he introduced himself. “ _Sephiroth_ Faremis, actually. And yes, I’m _with_ Vincent, so no weird married couple threesome sharing thing. He’s mine.”

Cid’s loud bark of laughter was almost unexpected. “I like this kid, he’s funny. Don’t worry…even if I did swing _that_ way, I’d probably angle more for you than for Vince. I like ‘em _spirited_.”

The short woman known as Yuffie snorted at that before knocking her husband out of the way. “Stop being stupid, Cid! We have to go and so do they!”

“I’m not a kid,” corrected the silver-haired youth as he crossed his arms, glaring balefully at the irritating old man.

“Your baby fat says otherwise,” joked the blond man who was obviously enjoying teasing the adolescent boy. His wife looked away, trying hard to hide the wide smile on her face. She ended up burying her face in his back to muffle her laughter since she seemed amused by the blank, bored expression on Vincent’s face and the enraged look on Sephiroth’s. After calming down considerably, Yuffie then peered around the blond man to stare almost coyly at the green-eyed boy. Grinning, she playfully asked, “Hey Cid, are you sure we can’t bring him into a threesome? Or a foursome…Vincent can play with us, too…”

“ _Mother’s ass_ …” Hissed Sephiroth as he grabbed Vincent by the wrist and pulled the silent man after him.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“I don’t have baby fat,” griped Sephiroth as they neared Reeve’s office. The annoyed, flustered expression on his face caused the older male to smile, which the youth noticed right away. Shoving Vincent by the shoulder, he growled, “Shut up…”

“I didn’t say anything,” said Vincent as he tried his best not to laugh at his flustered significant other. It was times like these when his little brother acted moody that tempted him to grab the boy and kiss him breathless until he was a mass of loosened, placid nerves. With a sideways glance, he quietly added, “…you do have a little bit of baby fat. That’s normal, though.”

Sephiroth snorted in disagreement as they stopped right outside the door of Reeve’s spacious office. Arms crossed, he waited on the raven-haired male to make the first move. He was mildly startled by the gentle touch to his face before pale lips pressed chastely against his own. Like a spell, the unexpected, sweet kiss evaporated a good portion of the tension that had been winding up in his body for days. To be truthful, the youth wasn’t truly irritated by Vincent or his friends, or even the early visit to the WRO. What really bothered him was his family and the stress that accompanied it. He was a momma’s boy through and through, which meant he took the break from his mother harder than many would have. His father and Vincent believed that she would get over it, would accept it, but Sephiroth wasn’t certain about that. There was the chance that he was dead to his mother, which meant he might never see his mother again. Though he didn’t regret leaving home for Vincent, he still felt a wild, atrocious mix of unpleasant emotions that felt like they were slowly suffocating him as time passed on by.

“You are a beautiful, young man, Sephiroth. Already you’re taller and larger than I am, and very fit for someone your age. You will fill out more in the next few years until every trace of that baby fat is gone,” explained Vincent, his hand dropping from the boy’s face to rest on his shoulder. “You ready to see him?”

“The shit you say,” grumbled the adolescent, bumping shoulders with the slightly shorter man. He knew without having to look into a mirror that there was a light dusting of pink that tinged his pale cheeks. “Yeah, let’s get this over with…”

Vincent knocked firmly and quickly before waiting for permission to enter the office. Once he heard Reeve yelling, “come in!” he opened the door and slipped into the office with Sephiroth trailing close behind him.

“Ah, Vincent, how good of you to come so early. I know mornings…aren’t your thing, so to speak,” began Reeve as he languidly stroked the fur of a weird looking cat that appeared to be napping in his lap. He looked to the younger brother and smiled amicably. “Good morning, Sephiroth. Everything okay? Your face…is a bit _red_ …”

Sephiroth glared accusingly at Vincent before he shrugged. “I’m fine. If you don’t mind, Mr. Tuesti, I’d like it if you got to the point. Why are we here?”

“Reeve, call me Reeve,” insisted the short-haired man, still smiling and petting his cat. “Ah, looks like you’re a night owl like your brother here. That’s good to know. I’m sorry to drag you in here so early. Do forgive me. I keep forgetting not everyone is an early bird like me…”

“It’s fine. We…just had a… _rough_ night,” mumbled the half-Cetra, purposely keeping his answer vague.

“Understandable,” commented Reeve with a nod. Though his demeanor remained friendly, there was suddenly the distinct professional air of a businessman now cloaking his aura like a second coat. “I will keep this nice and short, then. I called you both here because of your request to join the WRO, Sephiroth.”

The moment those words left Reeve’s mouth, Vincent slowly turned his head to look at the younger male standing beside him. Shock and disbelief creased his features before quickly becoming marred by barely contained anger. His hand and claw were both clenched into tight, slightly shaking fists as he waited for his brother to speak his piece. If Sephiroth had been a lesser man, he probably would have pissed his pants.

“That is correct, yes,” confirmed the silver-haired boy, carefully keeping his features blank and composed. Though he kept his gaze trained on Reeve, he could still feel the anger radiating from the half-demon. He had already known that his decision to join would most likely piss Vincent off and had suspected earlier that Reeve had called this meeting today to discuss his request. He had known all this and still had accompanied Vincent here willingly enough. Truth was he didn’t care to beat around the bush, so to speak, and preferred everything to be dealt with accordingly, no matter how painful or uncomfortable it might be. Because of the fight with his mother, there hadn’t been time to discuss any of this with Vincent yet and really, he didn’t think Reeve would have called them in for a meeting about this so soon. Everything was just happening quickly, too quickly, for Sephiroth’s liking and he wasn’t sure how much more he could handle without going berserk.

“Because this is a dangerous field, you still have some time to consider backing out before anything becomes official. Rigorous training is required, of course, and I think, the person, or should I say, the sponsor to oversee your training should be Vincent, but that is completely up to him, of course. He’s adept in weapons training and hand to hand combat, so I am confident in my belief that he will be a suitable instructor for you. However, there are some specialized classes I believe you should take, like the martial arts training with our own Yuffie Highwind. It’s a relatively new course hat was set up a few years ago and has become a requirement for all new recruits no matter which field they’re actually aiming for, be it field work or hah, _accounting_. There’s no one more skilled _and_ renowned in martial arts here than her. I have a list here,” explained Reeve as he leaned over his desk, which disturbed the cat, to drop a folder on his desk for the adolescent to take. Once he was seated, he began stroking the irritated cat’s  black fur in an effort to mollify it. “It’s a list of classes. The ones marked with an asterisk are mandatory and the others are optional, meaning it’s up to you if you want to take any or all of them. If you are serious about joining Vincent’s field, I would suggest taking all the classes I personally check marked for you. Any questions?”

Sephiroth did his best to ignore the sweltering eyes that were currently burning holes straight through him as if to somehow deter him. He was slightly surprised by the fact that Vincent had opted to remain silent instead of outright objecting. It was possible that his half-brother held enough respect for Reeve not to make a scene in front of him. Then again, Vincent was an extremely private person and usually chose to conceal his emotions, which meant Sephiroth would not be exempt from a possible tongue lashing the next time they were alone together. Picking up the folder, he opened it and flipped through the pages, his vibrant eyes scanning everything quickly.  “When do I start?”

Reeve smiled, momentarily flashing his pearly white teeth. He was obviously pleased by the young man’s blunt, direct approach. “As soon as you’re assigned a sponsor, of course. If Vincent agrees to it, then it can be as soon as tomorrow. I think you both should mull this over today and come back tomorrow. Should Vincent accept, then your training can begin tomorrow. Should he not, we will find you another suitable sponsor, of course, but it may take some time. I say this because of your… _special_ circumstances. You are part angel, after all, which means your handler should be someone with roots or experience pertaining to them. Like I told you over the phone, if Vincent doesn’t agree to it, then you can’t work with him. Your choice to join is yours; however, his choice of partner is his. I hope this is not an issue for you.”

“Not at all, sir,” said the silver-haired boy as he closed the folder and tucked it under his arm. He slowly turned his head to lock eyes with his fuming lover. Voice firm and even, he added, “I don’t think it will be an issue…”

“Very good, but Reeve is just fine. If that is all, you’re both dismissed until tomorrow. Have a good day and once again, sorry about the early hour. It was the only time I could fit you both in,” apologized Reeve. As he watched them both turn to leave, he called out, “Vincent, hang back for a moment. I need to speak to you… _privately_.”

Sephiroth nodded at them both before he promptly stepped out of the office without any form of protest. Closing the door behind him, he leaned against the wall and waited. While he waited, the half-Cetra closed his eyes while he wondered what they were possibly talking about. He wasn’t vain enough to believe that it was all about him, or even about him at all. Well, it could be and would explain why Reeve felt the need to have a word alone with Vincent. Or perhaps the man had a mission or some other piece of information meant to be confidential. Either way, he respected that and wouldn’t bother to badger the half-demon for information. Besides, he was pretty certain they’d be too busy arguing about Sephiroth’s decision soon enough and—

Wait…what was _that_? Something…strange was vibrating against his skin, starting from his fingers splayed against the wall and up his arm and to his head. The feeling almost felt like laughing gas as it tingled his body and caused his ears to _hum_. Unlike the with the gas, this feeling seemed to sharpen his mind, making it focus on the humming in his eardrums. Not knowing what else to do, he kept his eyes closed as he focused on the humming until he heard the distinct, somewhat muffled voices of Reeve and Vincent talking.

_“…is not the life for him and you know it, Reeve. He’s been through a lot in such a short span of time so of course he isn’t thinking clearly! You promised me you wouldn’t go after him. You said he would be safe, that he was off limits. Did you lie about that?”_

_A sigh. “He called me, Vincent. I had no intention of recruiting him, or even accepting but…he convinced me to. He is obstinately determined, that much is clear, and I knew that if I denied him, he would just find another way to get what he wanted. I would rather have him here, training with you, or someone else trustworthy, than out there in the wrong hands. Your brother is one of the last living angels, Vincent. He must be protected **and** be able to protect himself.”_

_“He does not know…he doesn’t understand what it’s like to do what I do, Reeve. It’s not a video game. If you die, you don’t get to restart.”_

_“Ever the protective brother…” A laugh. “He’s young, yes, he’s your kid brother, yes…but he’s not a kid, and he’s not stupid. That much I can tell, Vincent. I seem to recall a time when you were remarkably like him in your younger years. Unlike you, he isn’t motivated by revenge. His motivation stems from love. For you.”_

_A growl. “Reeve…”_

_“I hope you know that if you don’t sponsor him, someone else will. And when the time comes, if you don’t accept him as a partner, someone else will.” A long pause. “I hear Hojo has been looking for a new partner...”_

_“Hojo is a monster, Reeve, you know this. If he goes anywhere near my brother…if he even looks at him wrong…then I will blow his filthy brains out, I promise this.”_

_Another sigh. “Be that as it may, he gets the job done. His methods are…a bit questionable, but he’s one of our best, Vincent. Because his knowledge and experience is almost as extensive as your own, he is more than qualified. If you don’t accept Sephiroth as your partner, Hojo most likely will. This is not a threat; it is a possible outcome. Keep this in mind as you come to a decision…”_

Nothing more was said before Vincent ripped open the door and slammed it behind him as he exited. His smoldering eyes glared at the wall before they honed in on Sephiroth, who stared back at the hunter like a deer that had just spotted a predator. Grabbing the younger male by the wrist, the raven-haired male said nothing as he forced his half-brother to follow him. Each step was quick and rough as Vincent stormed down the hall, his crimson attire whipping behind him as he nearly dragged the other male. Though Sephiroth was a couple of inches or so taller, he still struggled to keep up with the shorter male’s hasty, wild pace. Instead of protesting or struggling, he silently followed the angry man until he was shoved inside a dark, dusty room filled with stale air. As the half-Cetra glanced around, he noted the numerous rows of student desks and chairs until his gaze stopped on the large desk and computer chair that most likely had been used by an instructor at some point. By the looks of it, the room hadn’t been in use for probably well over a year, at least. Before he could scrutinize the unlit room any further, the sound of a door being none too gently shut and then locked echoed throughout the room.

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

For what felt like hours, but was really just several long minutes, Sephiroth watched the older man pace back and forth like a caged beast. The man was obviously trying to calm down enough to focus his thoughts and most likely initiate a conversation that didn’t start off as yelling or a string of words that he didn’t mean. Even though the younger male felt terrible for distressing his lover, he didn’t regret what he had done. Deep down, he knew it had been the right thing to do and no matter how furious Vincent was, Sephiroth wasn’t about to back down.

As he watched the raven-haired man, he found himself contemplating the conversation he had somehow eavesdropped on without meaning to. How he had managed to hear through that thick wall, he didn’t rightly know. Maybe it was one of those so-called abilities that had been suppressed by his mother locking his Cetra side away. If it was, it would definitely come in handy. At some point, he would have to test his hypothesis out to conclude if that actually had been him, and to what extent he could use this new power.

What stuck out most to him about the conversation was what Reeve had said about Vincent’s _reason_ to join. Sephiroth remembered some time ago that Vincent had said yes _and_ no to his question about him being coerced to join or not years ago. At the time, he had not understood what he had meant by such an answer. Now that the puzzle had a few more pieces added to it, he figured that Vincent joined because the WRO had something he needed on a personal level. He had not joined to help the world, or because they had truly forced him to. Something truly despicable had happened to him at some point in his life, Sephiroth knew, and it made him wonder if that something was directly related to what Vincent hoped to obtain from his service.

 _Revenge_. That’s what Reeve had said. But against who, and why? Could it be the same monster that had scarred Vincent up so? Why would anyone do such a thing, and how much damage had there been? He had no doubt that it didn’t stop at the physical aspect of the damage done. Whatever had been done to Vincent had damaged his heart, mind, and body to the extent he didn’t trust the one he claimed that he loved above all. He had promised to tell Sephiroth one day, but would that day every come? Was that just a ruse to placate his buzzing curiosity? It was at that moment that Sephiroth realized that while Vincent pretty much knew everything about him, the silver-haired teenager could not claim the same. It was a strange feeling to know someone, yet at the same time, feel like you know absolutely nothing about them.

Vincent suddenly stopped pacing to turn and stare at the taller, younger man. Shaking his head, he said, “You’re not doing this…”

“All right, then _quit_ ,” challenged the half-Cetra as he crossed his arms over his muscular chest.

“You know I can’t do that.”

“Then I’m doing this whether you like it or not. If you were in my place, you’d feel the same.”

“Don’t throw your life away for a pointless cause, Sephiroth. You are a bright young man with a future ahead of you. _This_ …is not what you need, or deserve,” warned Vincent as he slowly edged closer to Sephiroth as if he were a wild animal about to bolt from him.

Sephiroth scowled as he stood his ground, his arms glued to his sides as he clenched his hands into tight fists. His brewing anger was beginning to rival that of his brother’s as he glared. “Pointless cause? So what you’re saying is…protecting you is pointless? What’s more pointless? Going to school during the day and sleeping at night…while you fight, and possibly die? How would you feel if you were in my position? Would you stay at home, sleeping peacefully while monsters attack me? Could you wake up one day and get a call telling you that I’m dead? Wouldn’t that be more pointless? You claim you want to protect me, but why can’t you let me protect you in return? Why do you believe my life is worth more than yours?”

Vincent said nothing as he gawked at the silver-haired youth, dark brows furrowed and lips parted as if he were speechless.

“Are you even listening to me? What are you staring at?” Snapped Sephiroth after he had noticed the dark-haired man was staring at something in particular, something on his face.

“Your eyes…are _glowing_ ,” murmured Vincent as he took a step forward. He reached over, but stopped himself halfway, letting his arm drop limply to his side. Slowly shaking his head, the slighter male averted his eyes as he mumbled to himself, “This…isn’t good…”

“Eyes glowing? What the hell are you mumbling about?” Questioned Sephiroth. Although he couldn’t see himself, he felt the ice that shot up his spine, making his now unclenched hands tremble from an unknown, unpleasant cause he could not identify. When the older male didn’t respond, he stepped closer and spoke again. “Vincent?”

Vincent’s unfocused eyes sharpened again and he snapped his attention back up to Sephiroth’s face. He quickly schooled his face back into a blank, unreadable expression as he said, “Nevermind. It doesn’t matter. What matters now is you stopping this foolishness. You are not joining the WRO and you will go to college and make something of yourself that is not… _this_ ,” and waved his hand at himself and the room.

“I’ve made up my mind, it’s done, and it’s happening. Nothing you can say will change my mind. You don’t have to like it, but you do have to accept it, just like I accepted the fact that I may never see my parents again. It is what it is. What ever happened to you not denying me anything, huh?”

“I will not allow this,” growled Vincent, brows furrowed together as he scowled, his face the perfect portrait of wrath. It was obvious that the gunman wasn’t about to budge on the matter.

“The fuck you won’t,” snarled Sephiroth, his rising anger and stubbornness easily mirroring his brother’s. Annoyed by the other’s stifling proximity, he roughly shoved Vincent back by the chest. He grunted when said man shoved him back, which caused him to launch himself at Vincent. Pulling his fist back, he attempted to punch the raven-haired male in the face, but missed due to the other’s inhuman speed and agility. Vincent easily dodged the blow while his golden claw lashed out and hooked onto the younger male’s forearm. With a powerful jerk, the motion sent Sephiroth sailing through the air and thrown forcefully onto the ground straight onto his back. He didn’t bother waiting for the stunned half-angel to recover from the shock before he pounced on top of him, effectively pinning him down. 

Sephiroth was furious and showed it by snarling as he attempted to dislodge the slighter man from his body. His struggle proved futile since no matter how much he thrashed and bucked underneath the older male, Vincent would not release his hold on him and even tightened his iron grip on his half-brother. Eventually after several long minutes, his violent thrashing ebbed into weak, pitiable squirming as a result of his exhaustion. Growling, he glared up at the pale face that stared down intently at him. Through gritted teeth, he ground out, “Get. Off. Of. Me.”

“No,” quietly refused Vincent, staring down at the enraged, twisted face of his beautiful lover as if he were seeing him for the very first time. Whatever anger had been in him vanished almost as quickly as it had come only to be replaced by a heated expression. Right before he leaned over and crushed his mouth against Sephiroth’s, he growled, “Not until I’ve fucked you on _that_ desk…”

The younger brother’s lingering anger and adrenaline coursed through his body, which fueled the sudden desire that shot through his veins like liquid fire. He quickly rolled them over so that he was on top of the older man, one hand pinning Vincent down with his arms crossed over his head. The youth enthusiastically bit and sucked at the other’s pale neck, leaving bright blotches and even breaking the skin, causing rivulets of blood to dribble down the sides of the half-demon’s long, colorless neck. His other hand hastily reached in-between them to grope and rub at the noticeable bulge that was quickly growing and straining against the cloth of the older male’s pants. The hand next fumbled with the zipper until it had somehow managed to yank the zipper down enough so that it could reach in and tug out the enflamed organ. The silver-haired adolescent quickly spat in his hand before lowering it back down to wrap around the length of the turgid cock tightly, squeezing it a couple times before roughly jerking it. He smiled against the older man’s neck when Vincent groaned as he squirmed underneath him, his hips rocking into the hand presently stroking him. 

Any other time, Vincent might have been happy allowing Sephiroth to manhandle him in whatever way he wished, but at this time, he had other plans. Reigning in as much will power as he could, the raven-haired male broke out of his brother’s hold as he effectively shoved him off of him. Before the adolescent could even blink, Vincent grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and dragged him backwards towards the desk. Slotting his mouth back with Sephiroth’s, he pulled the slightly taller man close while he turned them around so that the younger male’s back was facing the desk. With their mouths crushed together, their hips ground none too gently against each other while their teeth bit and tongues tasted while their hands groped and clawed roughly at one another’s still clothed bodies. As delicious as the kissing, pawing, and grinding was, Vincent had other plans. Breaking the kiss, he quickly spun Sephiroth around before pushing him down on his belly over the desk. He used his claw to hold the boy down by his back as his human hand worked quickly to unbutton, unzip, and yank off Sephiroth’s jeans from his body. The half-demon was pleasantly surprised to find that his half-brother wasn’t wearing any underwear. Something purple caught his eye, which caused him to reach down and pull aside a toned cheek to reveal a decent sized, deep purple butt plug.

“It’s like you planned _this_ …” Murmured Vincent, who sounded far from displeased as he fingered the plug curiously. His jaw clenched from the low moan drawn out from the youth’s long, strong throat and the jerk of the other male’s hips as he squirmed on top of the table impatiently, his trapped erection leaking and smearing against the table and his belly. He’d have to remember to question him later about it, but for now, the mounting urge to fulfil them both was all he could think about.

Sephiroth pushed back impatiently against Vincent, his raw voice nothing but growled out, incomprehensible words that neither of them understood, or cared to. What he wanted was clear enough to them both and if the older man didn’t oblige him _soon_ , then he would happily throw Vincent anywhere and ride him until his muscles couldn’t take it anymore. He was about to do just that when he felt the plug ripped out of his body and tossed carelessly away before he was completely filled by the other male’s dick in a few deep, hard thrusts. Despite being stretched by the plug, there was still some pain from the rough entry, yet Sephiroth still strangely enjoyed it to an extent. Hissing in pleasure with his eyes screwed shut, he smacked blindly at the desk until he found the edge of it, gripping onto it hard as he bucked back at the man that rammed hard and fast into him at a brutal, unforgiving pace.

The next time the panting silver-haired male opened his mouth to release a loud moan, something hard and rubbery was shoved into his mouth while something that felt like leather was strapped over and around his mouth, effectively keeping the thing in his mouth. His eyes shot open at the sensation while he released one hand from the desk’s edge to prod at the object muffling his moans and screams. It took him a few moments to realize that it was the gag that Vincent had recently gifted him. Once he became aware of this, electric hot sparks of pleasure crackled throughout his already painfully aroused, sweat-slicked body. Gripping the desk with both hands now, he eagerly pushed back since he’d be damned if he’d just lay there and take it without active participation, like some cat in heat…

_‘Only bitches take it up the ass, boy. Don’t be a faggy little girl like your friend Sephiroth. That weird faggot probably takes cock up his shithole like some old two-dollar whore. You should stay away from him and those other fags, boy…’_

Growling at the unwelcome memory of something he’d once accidentally overheard between Cloud and Mr. Strife, Sephiroth gripped the desk’s edge hard enough until he heard the sound of wood snapping from the sheer pressure, which caused large splinters to drop to the ground. Why such a memory like that surfaced _now_ , while he was having angry sex, he didn’t know. All he did know was that Cloud’s ignorant, bigoted father was wrong. Fucking someone felt good, yeah, but to Sephiroth, being fucked felt even _better_. Some might claim that a man who willingly bottoms makes him a girl, a fem boy, or something else less of a man, but honestly, Sephiroth gave no fucks about other people’s opinions. He was a man, a young man, yes, but he knew he was a man through and through and if he enjoyed sex with his own half-brother, whether it was rough sex like this, or making love, then so be it. If the world didn’t like it, didn’t accept it, then they could all go straight to hell with Cloud’s dad, for all he cared.

Craning his neck as far as he could, the silver-haired youth looked behind him, shooting his older lover a smug, provocative look that seemed to say: _‘Is that all you got?’_

In a flurry of movement too quick for the human eye, Vincent had pulled out long enough to flip Sephiroth around onto his back before plunging back into his puffy, yet loosened orifice that was still slick from lube and other bodily fluids. Sephiroth bucked against the other male before he attempted to rise up, but was halted by Vincent seizing him by the throat with his claw as he continued to pound into him relentlessly.  Though his grip was tight, he was careful not to suffocate or cut the writhing half-angel. The sight of that beautiful young man, gagged and at his mercy, was nearly enough to undo him then and there. The raven-haired male had to summon up every single ounce of will power just to make himself last just a bit longer.

Head thrown back and eyes screwed shut from the pleasure, Sephiroth didn’t have much choice but to just take it like a champ, flexing his hips and clamping his long legs around Vincent’s waist. All of his moans, and even his sharpest, loudest screams were effectively muffled by the gag while every inch of the older man’s large, engorged dick nailed his prostate hard and fast, milking him for all that he was worth. His arms were braced behind him, gripping the splintered edge of the desk without him even noticing the wood biting into his flesh and making him bleed. There was too much pleasure building up within and around him for him to notice any pain or discomfort to his person. The moment the claw left his neck and wrapped around his neglected cock, Sephiroth felt his orgasm explode violently from him like a cork flying from a wine bottle until all he knew was pure euphoria.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

“Fine…you can join, but you will do what I say, when I say. No ifs, ands, or buts,” sighed Vincent before he leaned over to rest his forehead against Sephiroth’s. His human hand carefully undid the gag before removing it from Sephiroth’s mouth completely. He dropped it down next to them on the table before using the same hand to wipe away the excess saliva and to massage that undoubtedly sore mouth. Whatever anger that had been building up between them earlier was now long gone, replaced by acceptance and the aftermath of release.

“Yes, sir,” rasped Sephiroth, who promptly pulled Vincent down onto his soiled body, deliberately staining the older man’s clothes while he kissed him.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~


	13. The Lover's Promise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive the lack of updates for this story, and some others. I appreciate and thank you for your patience and of course, for sticking with this story. I am back to regularly updating my fictions and have no intention of taking another long hiatus. I don't deal very well with loss, no one does, but I believe I'm back on track now. I hope you all enjoy this long chapter. 
> 
> Note: Fukō means misfortune, can also mean misery, suffering, agony, and etc. I thought it was a suitable surname for our dear Hojo. :P

_3 Months Later_

 

Since the day was pleasantly warm with a gentle, cool breeze, several trainees and even some off duty, seasoned agents were outside honing their skills by sparring by themselves or with a partner. There was more than enough room for them to train without having to worry about bumping into someone else or accidentally hurting someone. Others were inside training in the Dojos, in the VR rooms, or attending classes. It was like any other day at the WRO, people constantly bustling inside and outside of the organization.

Sephiroth was outside around the back of the building, where few people liked to train since it was in the shade and they couldn’t be clearly seen. He’d quickly figured out that many of these people liked to be seen training in plain sight as if they were primping birds that hoped to impress a potential mate. Many in the organization were like any people in any job; they wanted to rise in the ranks and become something more, which was one of the many reasons for showing off. Sephiroth, on the other hand, could care less about being the potential poster boy for WRO, or some big shot hunter or researcher. Before school had ended, he had had some vague notions about what he wanted to do with his life, but now, now he wasn’t so certain since he had chosen a different path, a more difficult one. He had never envisioned leaving his family in the way he had, or even entertaining notions of becoming his estranged brother’s lover. All his plans, as indecisive and incomplete as they had been, had not counted on him falling in love, or discovering that he wasn’t entirely human. The path ahead of him was murky and treacherous, making him feel uncertain about just how to proceed, and about what he truly wanted in life. The only thing he felt certain of was how he felt about Vincent. That’s why he even bothered coming to the WRO nearly every day, to learn and hone new skills so that he wouldn’t be a hopeless, useless burden in the future. When he set his mind to something, he knew he could be and often was, incredibly stubborn and unmovable even when wrong. Despite this, he didn’t feel he was wrong now since realistically speaking, since he was a target for demons, it made sense that he was taking steps to better protect himself and others. As skilled and protective as Vincent undoubtedly was, the man couldn’t always be there to save the day.  

The distinct feeling that he was being watched had steadily increased over the past few months no matter where he was. Ever since Vincent had arrived back into his life, the nagging feeling of eyes on him had grown, making him feel a bit jittery and paranoid, especially after being attacked by the Dark Cetra twice so far. At first, the feeling was something he had overlooked, hadn’t noticed really until _after_ his heritage had been forcibly revealed to him by Chaos. He was probably just being paranoid since the world seemed different to him now that truths were being revealed. Despite this, he knew better than to ignore his instincts since he had learned the hard way not to. The scars on his arm were a testament to that tough lesson, after all.

Every now and then, a few people passed by, ogling him curiously as they watched the youth repetitively go through his forms, his hands gripping the hilt of an imaginary sword as he moved, his long limbs in sync with the rest of his leanly muscled body. This was common practice for many recruits and agents since each person were only allotted a restricted amount of time in the training rooms, even the VR rooms, so that everyone received a fair opportunity. There were rules and regulations here pertaining to the use of firearms, swords, and other weapons. Because of this, the use of weapons was strictly reserved for specific training rooms, shooting ranges, and obstacle courses. Sephiroth had been instructed on the use of several kinds of weapons and had learned to use each one efficiently. Out of all the weapons he had learned to wield, the sword, especially the katana, was by far his favorite to use. Something about the feel of a hilt gripped in his hands felt right to him, felt good even, as he swung and parried the blade like it was an extension of his arms. Closing his eyes, he enjoyed focusing on the sound of the blade slicing through the air, singing with each precise swing and thrust. Even as he moved without it grasped in his hands, he could still almost hear the imaginary blade singing as his booted feet led him through the familiar forms he had gotten to know so well over the last three months. He was by no means an expert swordsman, but most people who walked by, or stood around to watch him, marveled at how quickly he was mastering these skills and by how much of a natural he seemed to be. Some had even muttered close enough for him to hear saying that there’s no way some kid could learn skills like that so quickly, that he obviously had some previous training that he was lying about.

It had gotten around the WRO rather quickly about what he was, that he was a Half-Cetra, which resulted in him receiving far more unwanted attention than he would have liked. Most people seemed too intimidated by what he was to approach him directly, opting to just stand near enough to gawk at him, to mutter things to their friends as they watched him. Even before he had discovered his heritage, Sephiroth had often received many stares in his life due to his exotic looks. He had never enjoyed being stared at like some act in a freak show, but had learned over the years to ignore the piercing stares, laughs, and jeers. It felt different now because now, now he knew that he was indeed a freak and more than just a deviant among humankind. In the past, being different had been a good thing in his head, yet now he wasn’t so certain he liked being different anymore. Perhaps this was what Vincent had been going through his entire life, but unlike Sephiroth, he was half Dark-Cetra, something viewed as dangerous and unseemly whereas Sephiroth himself seemed to be viewed more like some rare, harmless bird in a cage.  It was no wonder Vincent preferred to work at night and ignored most people whenever he had to slip into the WRO for a meeting or some other form of business he had to attend to. Out of everyone in the WRO, Vincent seemed to only talk to Cid, Yuffie, and Reeve.

What had been unexpected was the strange friendship that he had unintentionally formed with the renowned martial arts expert, Yuffie Kisaragi. She was tough on him when training him in the Dojo, but was ecstatic when he began quickly learning and then mastering moves and techniques that she boasted many of her students had difficulty even attempting. Unlike many people, especially of his size and height, his reflexes were sharp, movements graceful and fluid, and his speed unrivaled. She was beyond thrilled to finally have a worthy opponent to spar regularly with and was shocked at times when he actually managed to knock her down on her ass or that one time on her face with her ass in the air. Within weeks, he learned that the thirty-something old woman ( _who looked like she was thirteen_ ), was more than a screeching banshee and she learned that he was more than just a mouthy brat. At first, he was annoyed that she seemed to pop up everywhere no matter where he was at the WRO and even at the house, he would spot her outside hiding in the bushes or perched up in a tree with binoculars. As amazing as she was at several varying forms of martial arts, and despite her claims of being a deadly ninja, her stealth was a joke. She seemed to be outright stalking him, though she didn’t directly approach him outside of their training sessions together. He had been ready to snap at her to stop following him around when he suddenly remembered that she was Vincent’s _friend_. This meant, of course, that she had probably been asked to keep an eye on him since Vincent couldn’t always be around to keep a vigil since he did have his own missions to complete. It made sense because she only stalked him on the days and nights Vincent was out on a mission.

On one particular night, he had walked outside, looked up into the tree, and had asked her if she wanted to stay the night _inside_ of the house, in a bed. Blushing at having being caught, ( _and at falling unceremoniously out of the tree only to be caught by a pretty boy_ ) Yuffie had mumbled furiously under her breath before hastily accepting his offer. That night he had realized how much he had missed having a friend to talk to and spend time with, even if it was someone he barely knew. It made him realize how much he missed his friends, even Genesis of all people, and especially Zack. But that was behind him now and he was convinced that he would never see or hear from them again since he didn’t want to endanger them. It was better this way, or so he told himself.

Since that night, Yuffie spent much of her free time hanging out with him when she didn’t have classes or any other duties to attend to. Cid didn’t seem to mind her hanging around a younger man, seemed grateful for it, in fact, since it gave him some quiet time from the loud woman he loved. Sometimes the blond man would insist on having Sephiroth stay over their house overnight, or even for a few days. He was gruff, smoked a lot, and cursed a lot, but deep down, he was a funny, decent guy and had a brand of sarcasm and humor Sephiroth couldn’t help appreciating. They were both at least a decade older than the half-angel, but he didn’t feel bothered by age and they didn’t treat him like a kid like other older people tended to do. After all, the man he loved and slept with regularly was around ten years his senior, so if he truly had an issue with being with older people, he wouldn’t be living with Vincent as his committed S.O.

“What have we here?” Coldly inquired a voice that cut through Sephiroth like an ice pick stabbing through ice, which effectively shattered his concentration. Irritated, the silver-haired man glanced over his shoulder to zero in on the slightly hunched over form of a slender, yet fit older man who stood barely ten feet away with his hands clasped behind his back. His eyes raked over the slightly messy, and exceptionally greasy, long black hair that looked like it had been hastily pulled back into a pony-tail at the last minute. His sallow skin seemed just as greasy, but was devoid of any facial hair. The man’s face would have been decent, maybe even a little bit handsome if there wasn’t such a deep scowl marring his face and such unrestrained eeriness etched into bespectacled, beady black eyes. The way he looked at Sephiroth, eyes flickering over him like he was a prized show dog being judged, made the younger man feel uncomfortable in such a way that made him want to flee. Out of sheer stubbornness, Sephiroth remained rooted to the spot, staring back with narrowed eyes. He didn’t know who this creep of a man was, but he already didn’t like him. Out of experience, Sephiroth wasn’t often wrong when it came to his impressions of people. Excluding Vincent, of course. Vincent was…another case. A special case.

 "It’s not what, it’s  _who_ , you jackass. And that’s none of your business,” responded Sephiroth with a derisive snort. He knew better than to turn his back on this oleaginous man.

“So it can talk. Very good,” commented the oily man, his thin lips tilting up briefly into a slimy smile that seemed to be a bad omen for something ominous to come.

“Yes, he can talk, and punch, and he knows how to fight now, so fuck off,” growled Sephiroth, his temper flaring. Something about this man was getting to him, was crawling underneath his skin and he didn’t like it, not one bit.

Adjusting his eyeglasses even though they didn’t actually need adjusting, the unnerving man said, “So you are Valentine’s boy, eh? I was not aware that he had a younger half-brother, one of _Cetra_ descent. How interesting. Your kind are so rare nowadays, such a pity. It would be such a treat to have you in my lab…”

“Who the fuck are you and what do you want?” Bluntly asked Sephiroth, who was in no mood for head games from anyone. The distinct, youthful urge to take his fist and break this man’s nose increased with every ticking second.

The older man didn’t seem the least bit deterred by Sephiroth’s stinging attitude as if he had regularly taught feisty youths every day in class for years. “Ah, how rude of me. I am Professor Hojo Fukō. I work here in my lab and out on the street. You could say I am a part time Hunter when I am not busy in my laboratory...”

“You going to get to the point someday soon or should I roll out a sleeping bag?” Came the silver-haired youth’s scathing remark. As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, he suddenly remembered this man’s name and why it seemed so familiar to him. It had been the same name Vincent had brought up during his argument with Reeve months ago. He recalled his half-brother referring to Hojo as a monster, his words boiling with hatred as he swore he’d kill Hojo if the man ever laid a hand on Sephiroth. It seemed like the same kind of revulsion Vincent seemed to have reserved for his own mother. Whoever Hojo was, he had done something truly despicable to Vincent to earn his hatred. Hopefully someday, Vincent would be ready and willing to confide in Sephiroth about his past. Until then, he was content to take Vincent at his word. He would be wary of Hojo and keep his distance from him.

Hojo smiled and it was no hands down the creepiest and most disgusting sight Sephiroth had ever witnessed in his short life. Not even the memory of that demon that had tried to rape him could rival the look on this vile man’s face. Coughing in his hand, the dark-haired man stepped closer, but was careful not to stand too close to the youth. He glanced around before he said, “I know about you and Valentine. Everyone here seems to believe that you’re _unrelated_ , but I know better. He’s your half-brother…the same half-brother that’s undoubtedly fucking you. Or do you fuck him? Do tell, dear boy. I always wondered about the specifics of Cetra sexual reproduction, even if it’s just a couple of half-breeds…”

“I don’t care what you think you know, but whatever is going on between me and Vincent, it’s none of your fucking business,” spat Sephiroth as he felt bile rise up in his throat before swallowing it down with a grimace. He wasn’t ashamed of his relationship with Vincent, but that didn’t mean he wanted his lover to be ostracized or punished for something that wasn’t anyone’s business or concern.

Hojo continued to observe Sephiroth, his beady black eyes flickering up and down like he would to a specimen he thought worth studying and prodding at. He then turned his back to the younger man as if daring him to strike him while his back was turned. “I wonder…did he ever tell you how he came to work for the WRO?”

“Again, none of your business,” said the silver-haired adolescent who wanted to leave, but stubbornly remained in place out of pride. He had been here first, minding his own business before this creep crawled over to him without invitation. If anyone was going to walk away, it would be Hojo.

“So a no, then. That doesn’t surprise me,” commented Hojo, his hands still clasped behind his back as he watched some people sparring off in the distance. “You know…I captured Valentine years ago and brought him here as an experiment. Had him for around six months before Reeve intervened. He gave him a choice and as you can imagine, the half-breed chose to hunt his own kind. I still don’t trust him and I am convinced he will betray the WRO someday, if he hasn’t already. Dark Cetras are not to be trusted and that goes for even their little _mutts_. As for you, however, we shall see. Personally, I think every one of your kind should be locked up and observed…put to good use…”

It felt like someone had just splashed hot water all over his skin while punching him hard in the stomach simultaneously. Whether any of it was true or not was irrelevant since his imagination decided to flash him horrible images of what Vincent might have gone through. He recalled being told by him that his working for the WRO had been due to coercion to some extent. If this was true, and if his instincts were right, then there was no doubt in his mind that Vincent had suffered for months by this sick prick’s hands. What had been done to him, Sephiroth didn’t know, but could very well imagine it was truly horrific and traumatic. He didn’t know the specifics, but he knew Vincent had suffered due to his mother and this cruel man. It was enough for the gunman to clam up and stall at revealing certain truths to Sephiroth. At first, he had felt affronted that Vincent didn’t want to confide in him, but the more time passed and the more he learned about Vincent and his habits, the more he realized this wasn’t anything personal against him. Realistically, Vincent didn’t owe him anything and didn’t have to relieve his bitter, horrible past just so Sephiroth could know the terrible things he’d gone through. In a way, he was probably holding back these omitted truths just to protect his little brother from knowing such vile truths.

However, though he didn’t know what Hojo has specifically done to Vincent, the knowledge that he had treated him like some poor, unfortunate lab rat for several months, was enough to make him want to break this man’s ugly face. Breathing deeply, he closed his eyes and tried his best to will himself to calm down. If Vincent were here, he’d tell him to calm down and to not do anything stupid. Sephiroth knew that if he attacked Hojo physically, there would be consequences. It would not end well and as much as he longed to beat this repulsive man senseless until he was nothing but a bloody pulp staining the grass, he knew that he had to restrain himself as much as he could, for Vincent.

As if sensing his distress, his phone vibrated in his pocket as it emitted a _sighing_ sound, which was his notification for whenever Vincent texted him. Quickly fishing out his phone, shaky hand nearly fumbling it, he opened the message and quickly read:

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: JerkFace**

_Everything is fine on my end. How are you?_

4:56 P.M.

Sephiroth sighed deeply in relief, Hojo almost completely forgotten as he quickly typed and sent a text. He was always worried something would happen to Vincent when he was out on his missions. In the end, they both reached a suitable compromise where Vincent would text or call every two hours, or whenever he had the opportunity to. Since sometimes his missions took days, sometimes even a week, a regular text or call eased both of their concerns a bit since they both worried constantly about one another.

**To: JerkFace**

**From: Sephiroth**

_I’m alive. When are you coming home?_

4:55 P.M.

**To: Sephiroth**

**From: JerkFace**

_Don’t know. Maybe in a day or two. Sooner if I catch this thing._

4:57 P.M.

 Sephiroth felt disappointed, but was still happy that the other man seemed to be fine. He suddenly remembered Hojo, causing him to glance up from his phone to look at the creep. He relaxed slightly when he noticed that the older man was nowhere in sight, yet at the same time, it unnerved him because he didn’t know where he was. He’d have to double his guard around here, that’s for sure. His bigger concern was whether or not he should tell Vincent about this… _occurrence_. Knowing him, he’d launch into protective mode and fuss over Sephiroth while loading his gun. He briefly considered keeping this incident to himself since Vincent had enough worries as it was, but then he remembered the fight they had had around three months prior. They had both made a solemn promise to one another; one he wasn’t willing to go back on, even now. Smiling to himself, he recalled the event, which seemed both funny and stupid to him now…

 

_Three Months Earlier_

 

“…I kind of like driving you around,” grumbled Vincent from the passenger seat of his car, his arms crossed while Sephiroth drove his car, green eyes focused on the road. They were on their way to stop by Angeal’s house to pick up Sephiroth’s motorcycle so that he didn’t have to rely on the gunman for rides.

“You can’t always be there to drive me around,” pointed out the half angel, smirking a little bit as he turned the signal on before turning. He found it cute that their positions seemed to be reversed now with Vincent being the sulking brat and he the calm, settled one.

“That’s true enough,” agreed the dark-haired hunter as he gazed outside at the buildings, trees, animals, and people that they passed on by. Sighing quietly, he said, “I know you need your own vehicle…it’s just…I like taking care of you.”

A silver eyebrow perked up at that. “Should I change your name to Alfred on my phone?”

Vincent frowned. “Who’s Alfred?”

“Batman’s butler,” answered the smirking adolescent.

“Who is Batman again?” Inquired Vincent, who actually appeared to be stumped. His brows were drawn together as he tried to remember who his half-brother was talking about. It was a word he’d heard from Sephiroth’s mouth before, but for the life of him, he couldn’t recall when or why it had been said. Better yet, he didn’t know why such a word, most likely referring to a fictional character, was relevant in the first place.

“Even our dad knows who Batman is…” Trailed off Sephiroth, who quickly realized that he had unintentionally brought up one of the people he didn’t need to be thinking about right now. Frowning, he shook his head as he lapsed back into silence, his silver eyebrows furrowed in anger at himself.

Vincent turned his head to look at Sephiroth before leaning over slightly as he curled his arm around his shoulders. “Hey, just give it time. You will get them all back soon enough. They just need time to adjust to the idea. I had years to accept it, they didn’t.”

The silver-haired youth nodded curtly since he wasn’t certain if he could trust his voice right now due to the tight, choked feeling lodged in his throat. Everything the other man was saying sounded perfectly reasonable and he was probably right, yet he couldn’t help feeling bitter over the whole thing. At the same time, he wanted to smack himself for being so weak and selfish. After all, he had grown up in a loving family, with two parents _and_ a sister, and what had Vincent had? A vindictive, domineering mother that probably had abused and neglected him without allowing him to know his own father until he somehow had managed to get away from her. He didn’t know the whole story yet; however, it had been hinted a few times that the Dark Cetra, Vincent’s biological mother, had been a terrible mother. So far, Sephiroth had only encountered two demons, and both had been gruesome, violent creatures. One had been more bestial and depraved, while the other had been more on the cunning and intelligent, yet cruel side. He wouldn’t judge the entire race just yet on two beings or by what everyone said about them, but he would be careful. After all, Vincent was half-demon, yet he wasn’t a violent, loathsome beast like many humans tended to be in this world. Because of this rationality that there were humans capable of evil or good acts, or even both, it would stand to reason that not all Dark Cetra were monsters, or at least he hoped they weren’t.

“You’re right,” Sephiroth admitted since he didn’t want to drag Vincent down with his own personal issues. He slipped his right hand off from the wheel to lay his hand on the older man’s thigh, squeezing occasionally as he drove them towards the Hewley residence in comfortable silence. He had driven there so many times before over the years that he could easily find his way back there without much thought. He was anxious to get his bike back so that he could be more independent, ( _plus he loved riding bikes_ ), but on the other hand, he half-hoped Angeal wasn’t there since he was reluctant to see him. Although they had agreed to remain friends, things still felt somewhat strained and awkward between them. Until he could sort everything out himself, he’d need time away from his friends and family.

The familiar sight of the Hewley house, a [Craftsman](https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/hfc-ad-prod/plan_assets/36028/large/36028dk_1475675203_1479211781.jpg?1487328438) styled house that Mr. Hewley had built nearly thirty years ago, came into view. Built from red brick with a slate gray roof, the house was sturdy and elegant at the same time as it seemed to beckon to the couple to come closer. A neat, white cobblestoned driveway seemed to lead to the two-door garage and the front door as carefully trimmed, vibrant green grass surrounded the house along with carefully placed and maintained flowerbeds. A fair amount of vividly green Maple trees surrounded the house like old, welcoming friends, providing a reasonable amount of shade to shelter the house. Sephiroth smiled at the sight, remembering all the autumns when the trees had changed into various hues of reds, oranges, and golden yellows and then the winters when the trees were unadorned of leaves, like dark bones stripped bare of every piece of flesh. Then he remembered the spring when the leaves would grow back, as green as the grass well into the summer until the fall arrived once again. It brought back many memories of when he’d help Angeal and Mr. Hewley rake up the dried-up leaves from the lawn into manageable piles which had taken hours to accomplish. He remembered hiding in the piles of leaves to scare Genesis and startle Angeal. Angeal had learned quickly the first time to be suspicious of large piles of leaves, but Genesis had fallen for it every single time without fail.

Pulling smoothly into the driveway, Sephiroth parked carefully before shutting the car off. Looking at Vincent and nodding, he unlocked the doors and stepped out, grateful to stretch his long legs. Pocketing the car keys, he led the older man to the front door at an unhurried pace. As he strode forward, he glanced around at his familiar surroundings and noticed that very little had changed. The last time he had been here was sometime before Angeal had broken up with him. After that event, he had been reluctant to come back, even to get his motorcycle back because he had been bitter with the pain of it. To come back to such a place that he’d felt was his second home, would have been a huge slap to the face. Even now as Vincent stood beside him on the welcome mat, he felt a twinge of regret well up within him, like tears in a child’s eyes. His regret was due to what he had lost with Angeal when they’d started dating and afterwards when it was long over. As much as he wanted to remain friends with Angeal, he knew things would never be the same between them ever again. As much as Angeal loved him, he would always love Genesis more no matter what he claimed and well, Sephiroth now found that he would always love Vincent more than any of them. As bitter as such a truth had made him feel for months, now it felt considerably lessened by the unconditional love Vincent felt for him. As selfish as it sounded, Sephiroth relished that unlike Angeal, Vincent always seemed to place him above all others. It felt wonderful, euphoric even, to have someone at his side that chased away the lonely, hollow abyss inside of his being, making him feel more complete and fulfilled. 

“Don’t look so worried,” scolded Sephiroth as he leaned forward to ring the doorbell. Glancing at the dark-haired man, he added, “No one is going to whisk me away from you.”

“It’s not that,” softly denied the crimson-eyed man, though he wouldn’t offer any further words to dispute Sephiroth’s claim.

Before Sephiroth could respond, let alone blink, the door ripped open to reveal the tall, middle-aged form of Angeal’s father, Angelo Hewley, dressed in a ratty old T-shirt and worn, cornflower blue overalls with white paint splattered all over the old clothes. There was even some white paint on his tanned face and all over his strong, calloused hands and muscled arms. He was the splitting, older image of Angeal though his eyes were a warm, chocolate brown and he sported a neatly trimmed soul patch although the rest of his handsome face sported what looked like a week-old stubble. There was a touch of grey near his temples and some streaks of it throughout his bound back, shoulder-length, grizzled dark hair. A pair of old, scratched up reading glasses were perched on the bridge of his nose as if he’d just done some light reading. Even though his eyesight was still relatively good, at times he needed to rely on glasses for paperwork or anything that needed intricate details.

“Sephiroth? Is that you? Hey, it’s good to see you!” Exclaimed Angelo as he lunged at the boy, his strong arms winding around him in an enthusiastic bear hug. It had never been a secret that though Genesis was tolerated and didn’t really bother the laidback Angelo, he’d always preferred Sephiroth over the dramatic red-headed boy. “Who is this?” Inquired the curious man once he had realized that his son’s friend had not come alone. Releasing Sephiroth from the embrace, he turned to slowly look over Vincent, very much like a father would any potential suitor vying for his child’s favor.

Sephiroth blushed, suddenly feeling like a sixteen-year old girl having to introduce her new, older boyfriend to her father. “We came to get my bike, though it is good to see you, too. This here is Vincent, he’s my—“

“—Special someone, huh. No need to explain, I get you. I can tell just by the way he’s looking at you,” Finished Mr. Hewley, smiling knowingly as nostalgia crossed his handsome features. He suddenly stretched out his arm for Vincent to take in a firm, yet welcome handshake. “Nice to meet you, Vincent. I’m Angelo Hewley, but you can call me Angelo, I insist. No Mister crap, I’m not _that_ old, haha. It’s about time Seph warmed up to someone, I say...”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance,” politely spoke Vincent, who looked a tad bit uncomfortable though he smiled a bit in return, which proved that no one, not even the taciturn half-demon, could resist Angelo’s infectious, warm nature.

“I’m _only_ eighteen,” sighed Sephiroth, rolling his eyes as he couldn’t help from smiling. He’d deeply missed being around this loveable, relaxed man. His break-up with Angeal had kept him away from this place and from Angeal’s family through no fault of their own.

“You’re about to be nineteen real soon. I married Angeal’s mother when I was barely sixteen, you know, and we’re not sick of one another, yet.  Of course, she’s probably plotting to kill me after our boy moves out,” chuckled the elder Hewley, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkling as he wiped away imaginary tears. Stepping back into the house, he moved aside and gestured for both younger men to enter his residence after realizing his rudeness. “Come in, come in. I’ll make some coffee…”

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Sephiroth sat beside Vincent at the kitchen table as the elder Hewley worked in the kitchen by brewing coffee and searching for some reasonably clean mugs for them to drink out of. Noticing how uncomfortable his lover looked, he reached under the table to lay his hand on the older man’s thigh to comfort him. The tense muscles under his hand jumped at his touch before relaxing as Vincent’s human hand joined his under the table, long fingers covering his half-brother’s hand. Not much of a clingy or touchy person by nature, it still amazed Sephiroth how much he enjoyed these simple, non-sexual touches, or even cuddling with his older brother. Even in his younger years, he had enjoyed Vincent’s hugs and touches and even crawling atop his big brother while he tried to read or watch something. Something about Vincent always comforted and excited him, making him want more of his presence and touch.

“Your better half must be visiting her sister or something,” commented Sephiroth after noticing the sad state of the cluttered kitchen. He was half-tempted to jump up and clean the kitchen, but knew that was a futile effort since it would just become a mess all over again.

Skirting around the islander with three mugs, the middle-aged man laughed as he set the cups down on the kitchen table. “How’d you figure? Yeah, she left yesterday. She does that now and then whenever she feels the compulsion to become a Widow.”

“Right…so what’s with the paint?” Asked the silver-haired youth as he eyed the paint splattered all over the older man’s face and clothes.

“Yeah, was repainting my woman’s art room. She complained about the cracks in the walls for ages and I figured I’d do it while she was gone. Unfortunately, they no longer sell the exact shade of white we used many years ago so I had to paint the entire room,” explained the brown-eyed man with a wry smile. Walking back over to the coffee machine, nearly finished brewing, he mumbled, “Woman is probably going to hate this new color, just you watch…”

Sephiroth smirked since he figured Brona had threatened to cut off sex, or more like, _his_ sex, if her slacker husband didn’t get off his lazy ass. She was a strong-willed woman who worked hard at her job selling real estate and when she came home, she cleaned the house and cooked her family meals though now and then Angeal would step in to cook something for his parents. Though the blue-eyed, fair-skinned Irish woman was small compared to her tall and muscular husband and son, she was strong for a woman and would badger her boys relentlessly until they did what they were told. Fortunately for her, her son took after her more than her husband when it came to temperament although he was pretty much the splitting image of his father.

“Do you still take creamer in your coffee, Seph?” Asked Angelo as he walked over with the pot of steaming coffee and a container of creamer. The sugar was already placed on the kitchen table as if it had known it would be used

“I haven’t been gone _that_ long…but yes, I do,” answered the youth as he watched the man pouring coffee into each mug. As he poured a suitable amount of creamer into his coffee, he tried to ignore the small, amused smile on his brother’s face. Taking a sip, his face blanched at the sharp bitterness of the liquid. Quickly dumping and stirring a spoonful of sugar in, he sighed in contentment when the coffee tasted better.

“I still like mine black…but with two spoonfuls of sugar, of course, since I’m not a _psycho_ ,” said an amused Angelo as he watched both of them, obviously poking fun at the crimson-eyed man.

Noticing the way Vincent stiffened under his hand, Sephiroth nudged him with his knee and said, “He’s just joking.”

“He’s right, I’m just messing with ya. My woman likes it completely black, too. Says milk, creamer, or sugar dilutes the flavor. My boy is the only one who likes creamer in this family,” Angelo said as he turned a chair around backwards so that he could sit in it and rest his chest against it. “Any who, how did you two kids meet?”

Sephiroth exchanged looks with Vincent before he looked down at his coffee and fingered the ceramic, finding the heat soothing. “My dad introduced us…years ago, you could say. It just didn’t take until recently…”

“Mhm, sounds almost like an arranged marriage,” commented the elder Hewley, brown eyes faraway as he thought about something that made his face appear as if he were swimming in nostalgia, like how he met his wife or former girlfriends, perhaps. He quickly snapped out of it when Sephiroth snapped his fingers in his face. “Oh, right, well, did you know, Vincent, this one here…had a crush on me? Can’t say I blame him. Us Hewley men are rugged, charming, and undeniably handsome.”

The silver-haired adolescent snorted, ignoring the barely concealed mirth in the half-demon’s blood-colored eyes. “Believe what you want, old man.”

“He also had a _huge_ crush on that Tseng fella, I think. At least he did until my boy snagged his attention,” gossiped the brown-eyed man before he gulped down the rest of his coffee.

When he heard this, Vincent’s body stiffened and his fingers curled against Sephiroth’s hand, nails digging into skin, but not hard enough to break it. Voice low, he repeated, “ _Tseng_? Who…is Tseng?”

“Oh, just one of his teachers. I recall once having the hots for one of my teachers when I was close to Seph’s age. There’s always that one teacher, you know,” replied Angelo, laughing a bit as he muttered something to himself about how cute jealous people could be. Feeling Sephiroth’s hard, inquisitive stare, the middle-aged man then supplied, “And _Gennie_ told me all about it, Seph, if you’re wondering how I knew. That friend of yours has a big mouth.”

Vincent almost immediately relaxed at hearing that, his hand quickly rubbing the younger male’s hand in apology once he realized what he had done although he hadn’t truly harmed him. “I see…”

Angelo winked. “I think it’s obvious by now that Seph here likes his men dark-haired, dashing and on the _mature_ side…”

“That kind of singles you out, doesn’t it, _Goofy_ ,” deadpanned Sephiroth as he stared at the elder Hewley. Before Angelo could respond, there was the sound of the front door opening and the echoing footsteps of boots against hardwood floor as the man’s son came striding into the kitchen. He headed directly to the fridge, clearly not noticing that there were guests over as he opened it and snagged a can of soda.

“Welcome back son, tough day at the office?” Jested Angelo.

“Not really, just hung out with the guys and— _oh_ , uh…” Started Angeal as he turned around to face his father, his words trailing off when he noticed his ex-boyfriend and said ex’s brother sitting together at the kitchen table. He frowned when he saw Vincent, but his gaze diverted back to Sephiroth, to which he looked relieved to see. “Oh, wow, I didn’t expect to see you here, Sephiroth. Is everything okay? I heard you left your house…everyone is pretty worried, especially your sister…”

Sephiroth felt guilt gnaw at him at his friend’s words; guilt he knew that he deserved. He sighed, “I’m fine, really. Tell everyone not to worry…I just need time.”

“Can we talk? _Alone_ , I mean,” Asked Angeal, who ignored Vincent’s cold stare and his dad’s curious look as if they weren’t there.

“Fine, but just for a few minutes. Vincent and I need to get going _soon_ ,” said Sephiroth, patting his lover’s hand in reassurance before he stood up to follow Angeal into the living room. Once they were alone, he crossed his arms and watched his friend closely as he waited for him to speak his piece.

“Is everything really okay?”

Sephiroth curtly nodded. “Like I said, I am fine. Just adjusting to everything.”

The taller adolescent sighed as he ran his fingers through his dark locks, which was something he normally did whenever he was at his wit’s end. His eyes, so much like clear blue water, stared at the ground for several minutes while the silence hung thickly between the two young men. Without looking up from the ground, he confessed, “I know about you and your brother…or should I say, your _lover_. Cloud told us a few days ago. By us, I mean Zack and Genesis, too. My parents don’t know he’s your _brother_. They just think you eloped with an older man…”

In a way, he was relieved that his friends now knew the truth, or at least some version of it. Not too long ago, he himself had battled with just how messed up it was that he loved his own brother in such a taboo way. Now, he couldn’t care less about that or about what others thought on the matter.  All he knew was what he felt inside, his thoughts, feelings, and emotions consumed by a man he had once believed he had hated.

Feeling exasperated by the slightly shorter male’s silence, Angeal then strode forward and placed his hands on each strong shoulder of his friend. “You don’t need to stay with him, Seph. You can stay here with us, my parents love you, you know that, and we’ll get you some help. You’re obviously mentally unstable…he’s messing with your head, probably controlling you. If he’s threatening you, we can involve the cops. We’ll protect you, keep you safe…”

“The only one keeping me safe is Vincent,” said Sephiroth, his voice low as he stepped back slowly out of his friend’s grasp. His hands shook at his sides while his features were contorted in rage due to the accusations being flung against the man he loved beyond all else. This hadn’t been the first time someone had accused Vincent of having ill will and actions. It sickened him to think that some of his family and friends dared believe that such a kind, beautiful man would ever harm him. What’s more was everyone seemed to believe he was some stupid child incapable of making mature, rational choices for himself. He was young, still an adolescent, yes, but he wasn’t a child anymore. If he ended up regretting his own choices, then so be it, that would be on him. It was his life, after all, and he’s live it on his own terms.

“No, we can keep you safe, Sephiroth. Your sister, too. He won’t be able to harm them…or you, not anymore. You can still come back and I’m sure your parents will want you back. It’s not your fault,” carefully reasoned Angeal, voice gentle and soothing as if his friend were a five-year-old that had been diddled by his own uncle.

Unable to take it anymore, Sephiroth snapped. Striding forward, he shoved at Angeal’s chest, causing the larger man to stumble before his back hit the wall. Eyes thin slits, he hissed, “Now you listen here…I don’t need your help, or anyone else’s. I am fine, more than fine, actually. Vincent is not some fucking pedophile piece of shit raping kids or anything like that. Everything he’s done to me…I wanted, I consented to, and I continue to want it, from him only. I love him and I love it when he fucks me or when he holds me. I appreciate the concern, I do…but watch your damned mouth.”

Angry now, too, Angeal pushed away from the wall and grabbed Sephiroth, whirling them both around before slamming him against the wall and pinning him to it with his larger body. Looking into his face searchingly, he growled, “Goddammit, Sephiroth,” and then crushed his mouth roughly against the green-eyed boy’s unresponsive mouth. Mostly teeth and barely any lips or tongue, it was not a kiss of desire or of love, but one of sheer anger and frustration.

Before Sephiroth could truly react, the half-demon barged into the living room, his strides quick and jerky like a man about to engage in battle. Face twisted in rage, specks of gold simmered in his practically glowing crimson eyes. His golden claw lashed out, which seized Angeal and forcibly ripped him off Sephiroth before he right hooked him with his human hand, sending the teenager flying through the air and colliding against a couch. Like a man possessed, he started towards Angeal, but was stopped by his angry lover blocking the way.

“What the hell, Vincent! I didn’t need your help, I had it under control,” raged the silver-haired youth, clearly unimpressed by his dark-haired lover’s bout of unwelcome aggression and interference.  

Vincent lowly growled, “Clearly, you didn’t…”

“The fuck I didn’t. I was about to throw him off me before you stormed in here like a madman,” disagreed the angry youth, his anger directed at the older man although it seemed to stem from everything that had been pent up inside of him.

“Funny, it didn’t look that way to me...”

“I don’t care how it looked, or what you thought. It was how I said it was. I was dealing with him just fine before you barged in. I had it under control…”

“So what was I supposed to do, hm? Just let him kiss and paw at you like you’re some prostitute in an alley? Is that what you wanted?” Hissed Vincent, his voice sounding more like Chaos’ by the second. His crimson eyes were tinged gold, proof that he was quickly succumbing to his inner demon.

“You know what, fuck this. I can’t deal with you, I’m out. Don’t wait up for me, Vincent,” spat Sephiroth as he marched past him and out of the living room. He headed into the garage and pressed the garage button, which slowly caused one of the garage doors to rise up. He ripped the covering away from his black motorcycle and grabbed his leather jacket. Swiftly donning on the jacket, he straddled the bike before turning it on. Hearing the engine roar to life made him sigh since the familiar comfort of the vibrating machine and loud noise calmed him down significantly enough so that he could drive without causing a wreck. Sliding on some shades, he quickly drove out of the garage and out of the driveway until he was out on the road. He didn’t know where he was going right now, just knew that he had to get away from Vincent, from everyone. He was so pissed off at him, at them all, and most of all, at himself.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

Hours later, the now significantly composed adolescent male strode into their shared house, his anger long behind him. Peeling his jacket off and hanging it from the chair, he then dumped both sets of keys and his wallet on the table before looking around the living room. He saw no trace of Vincent and was about to head into their bedroom to see if he was in there when the sound of footsteps behind alerted him to another presence, which caused him to spin around. He relaxed when he saw that it was just Vincent standing there, staring at him from the front door. Feeling sheepish, he looked away, biting his bottom lip and feeling like a tired, old fool. Not knowing how to broach the subject, he asked, “Did you follow me?”

"I kept my distance, but yes, I followed you,” admitted Vincent in a tight voice. He looked about as worn out as Sephiroth surely felt.

Glancing at the two sets of keys on the table, Sephiroth realized that in his fury, he had forgotten to give Vincent back his keys. “How did you follow me? I had your keys…”

Vincent’s pale face was carefully devoid of all emotion as he watched the younger male. “I flew.”

“Oh, I see,” said Sephiroth, who felt worse know knowing that must have cost Vincent a lot of energy having to fly after him for hours. While out on his own, driving nowhere in particular, he had had plenty of time to think without anyone to really distract him. Out there on the road, he had realized a great many things about himself, about Vincent, but most of all, about their relationship. He realized that if things kept going at the rate they were, this relationship would quickly become strained and wouldn’t last. As much as they loved each other, love wasn’t enough to sustain their relationship, he knew.

Taking a deep breath to attempt to calm his jittery nerves, he began speaking and once the first word surfaced, many others tumbled out without restraint and he found he couldn’t stop himself even if he tried. “I…I am sorry. I was just so sick of everyone, including you, treating me like a child…that I snapped back there. It took me some time to realize it, but maybe the reason why you all treat me that way is because I act like a spoiled, useless brat who throws tantrums when I don’t get what I want. I bring it upon myself. Instead of growing up, I throw fits and act impulsively without putting much thought into the consequences. I mean, I even went behind your back like a little kid, to join the WRO when I should have talked to you first. I knew how you’d feel about it, me joining the WRO, I mean, so I snuck around like some brat and didn’t consult you when I should have. I always thought I was mature enough, well, among my friends, I am, but around other people, like you…I act like a child around. For that, I apologize. I was wrong and I know that now….”

As if the spell had been broken, Vincent’s mask shattered into pieces as he stepped forward to take the younger man’s face in his hand and claw. “No, no…you’re not a brat. Don’t say such things. I am the one that is sorry. I suffocate you, I don’t let you make your own choices without hovering over you like some warped, helicopter parent. I can’t expect you to sit around, not living, while I shield you away from the world. I want to protect you, to keep you safe…but I have failed to take you truly into consideration. You…are not a child anymore, you’re not my child. You are my equal, my mate, and I should treat you as such. I know that now, as well, and I am sorry…”

Sephiroth leaned against him before cupping the older man’s face in his hands, as well. Pulling him closer, he kissed him chastely on the lips before lightly knocking their foreheads together. “I think…we’re both right, in a way. If we want this to work…we have to make compromises. We have to communicate better, no matter how hard it may be for either of us. I need to stop acting out, I need to grow up some more, and you need to treat me as your man, not your child. It may take some time, but I think we can do it. I promise you, I will be better, I will get stronger, I will learn, and no matter how tough it is, I will always talk to you first, consult you without going behind your back. We might not always see eye to eye, but our decisions should be made together, as a unit. I will not shut you out again, we will not shut each other out ever again…”

“I promise the same,” whispered Vincent, his thumb stroking over Sephiroth’s sensual, silken lip as he gazed at him.

“Let’s go to bed,” said Sephiroth, barely holding back a yawn as he led the exhausted gunman to their bedroom before he helped shed the clothes from both of their weary bodies. No resistance was offered as he pushed the raven-haired man onto the bed and the youth couldn’t help enjoying the sight of him sprawled naked on their bed. “We should have make-up sex,” suggested the silver-haired man as he climbed onto Vincent, tugging the blankets around their naked bodies as he took his place half-draped over the slightly shorter man.

“We should,” agreed Vincent, curling his unblemished arm around the younger man. His eyelids drooped significantly as he looked down at him.

Sephiroth hummed, “Mhm…all right, let’s do it…”

The silver-haired angel’s eyes slid shut, succumbing to the blissful darkness and the comfort of his lover’s arms and body as he slipped into a deep, welcomed sleep. Only then did Vincent allow his own eyes to close, following the younger man into a slumber that was devoid of nightmares, as it always seemed to be, when he had Sephiroth with him.

 

~*~*~*~*~*~

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ran longer than I intended, and unfortunately, I couldn't squeeze everything that I wanted into it. Whatever I had cut out, will be in the next chapter, which should be updated after I update The Dragon Bride and Onus. Two or three weeks, give or take. Thanks for reading!


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